Sophia's Choice
by Misty Glow
Summary: This story resumes six months after the final episode. Sophia had fled to Italy to escape her fate. But fate has finally caught up with her and Wolf Lake calls her home.COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Hope you enjoy the first chapter of my very first fiction. I have a lot of ideas bouncing around my head and hope you enjoy my twist on things. I've read through all the other wonderful versions and I decided to start mine six months after the last episode ended. I felt the characters needed some space and a chance to cool off a bit before the next _heat wave..._ Well a lot can happen in six months. I mainly focus on the Lucas and Sophia storyline, because, well let's face it, they have the most character growth potential out of all. And yes, ladies, Lucas is a hottie. If only I was 17 again...hum.... Enjoy!

Oh yah, all that disclaimer stuff goes for me too. I don't own Wolf Lake or any of the characters, yada, yada, yada. Now on with the show...

**Chapter One: Ciao Papa**

Matt Donner sat at his desk at the Wolf Lake Police Station. Just five more minutes and his daughter will call. She called him like clockwork every Monday and Friday at 4:00 p.m. She was his one bright spot on these days, for he missed her terribly. Six months had passed. Six long months without the brightness of her smile. She had surprised him on that summer night when he saw her sitting with tears in her eyes after her date with Scott. He remembered the immediate anger he felt toward the boy, assuming he had caused his sweet Sophia to cry. But she announced that she had changed her mind about going to Florence. She pleaded with him to make a reservation on the next flight out. She said if she didn't get away from Wolf Lake, she would die here.

Matt tried to find out what happened to make her this desperate, he held her and spoke calmly to her, but she wouldn't say. She only said, "It isn't Scott's fault. He did nothing wrong. It's me; I just have to go. Please dad, please." He gave in, of course. He never could deny Sophia anything. At the time, he did want her to go to Florence. He wanted Sophia to have the adventures she always dreamed of. He just wondered why so sudden a change of heart...

The phone rang at the expected time, and the Sheriff woke from his musings. Ordinarily, Sophia's bright, bubbly voice would be on the other end, telling him of the sights she had seen, the new recipe she had learned from Aunt Rosanna, her new friends, how good she was getting at Italian, and the adventures her cousin Paulo would take her on his motorcycle. He would sit, listening to her chirp away like an excited bird. It always made him smile. But today something was different. Sophia did not sound excited, or even happy for that matter. She sounded scared! Matt's instincts immediately shot to alarm. "Sophia! What's wrong honey?"

"Dad... I'm not... feeling well. Things are happening..."

Matt sat up straight. "What things, Sophia?" His face started to burn at the realization starting to form in his mind. It was something he didn't want to hear. He knew Sophia wouldn't say those words like that, if it were just a simple cold or flu. She wouldn't be scared.

"You already know Dad. It's my time."

"No! You can't! This can't be happening!" Matt placed his hand over his eyes, rubbing them as if that would change things. "This can't be happening to you Sophia. Not there. Not in Italy. How can I help you from here? How... "

"Dad, its o.k. Either I survive it or... well you know." Sophia spoke slowly, as if she were very tired, but Matt could hear the fright in her voice. "Uncle Pete knows, Dad. The family knows. They already knew about you. Mom had told them. They were very worried about me, so I told them what was happening. Uncle Pete wants to talk to you. O.K.?"

Oh God! This is a nightmare. His little girl needed him and he couldn't be there with her! "O.K. sweetheart, put him on."

"Hello, Matt?" A heavily accented voice came on the line.

"Pete. I need you to help my daughter. Please... I have some things you need to know... about what will happen."

"Matt, this is very hard, you know? We see Sophia hold her stomach, we see her eyes glow, and we see her nails grow long. She has much pain. Much pain. We want to call a doctor, but Sophia says no. She gets very upset. So we don't call the doctor. We say to call you, but she wait until now! Paulo tries to hold her when she gets pain, but she scratches him, you see? What do we do Matt? We do not like the screams; we want to help her."

"Listen Pete. She's not going to like this but you will need to tie her down to the bed. She won't try to hurt you, but she may hurt herself when she tries to ... to... transform."

Matt was unsure of just how much Pete knew of their kind. His late wife Marie had told him something, but Matt didn't know just how much.

"Oh my god!" Pete muttered. "I don't know... I don't want to hurt her."

"Pete listen carefully. Sophia may be in danger if she doesn't go through with this."

"Yes, she has said. She said she might die Matt. Sometimes when the pain comes, she screams, "I'm a dying! I'm a dying!" It makes us all scared!"

"Pete, you need to tie her down. Then, and this is most important, you need to encourage her to change. You need to tell her it's all right. You need to tell her to let go and accept herself. When she changes, it won't be for long. She'll become Sophia again and will never have to go through that again." Matt felt strange having to explain this to a human, but he knew Pete cared for Sophia, would never betray her. He added anyway, "Pete, you can't tell a doctor. You can't tell anyone. Your family must be silent about this or.... "

Pete sighed, "I know Matt. I know. I love Sophia. I would never betray the daughter of my sister to the authorities. Never. None of us would. Paulo is very protective of his cousin too."

"Can you put Sophia on the phone, one more time?" Matt's voice caught as he felt the implication of those words. Would this be the last time he spoke to her? Would he lose his baby tonight? His instinct was to take the next flight to Florence, but he knew he could never get there in time. It was happening, and it was happening now. "And Pete, call me the minute anything happens. I'll leave my cell on everywhere I go."

"O.K. Matt. I will. Here she is."

"Sweetheart?"

"Hey Dad... I'm so sorry... about this. I know you didn't want me to take after you."

"God sweetie, I just want you to be happy, human or not. Listen, I know you're going to have a rough night. I just want you to know that it's a good thing to embrace your wolf. When you feel it calling, give in to it. Just give in. I know you'll want to fight it, cause it's natural not to want to feel pain, but you have to let go. Do you hear me Sofia? You **have** to let go!" Matt sounded desperate to give his daughter this advice. He wanted to stay on the phone with her. He wanted to talk her through it. But he knew she would be unable to talk soon. He knew the pain would be too great.

"I'll try my best Dad." She sounded hopeless and forlorn. "Dad... if I don't... if I don't..."

"Sophia! You will. You must. Do you hear me? You must!" Matt desperately grabbed on to the edge of his desk.

"O.K. Dad. I want to say I that I love you. You have been the best Dad and I have always been proud to be your daughter. I love you Dad."

"I love you too Sophia. I'm so lucky to have a daughter like you. I thank the stars each night for the blessing that is you. Come home to me baby. Please come home to me."

There was a pause, as the both of them held on to the phones, lumps of pain swelling their throats, tears streaming down their faces. "Ciao, Papa." And she was gone. The Sheriff held the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone. A numbness spread over his body, as he slowly lowered the receiver. His shocked eyes slowly turned toward the glass window that separated his office from the rest of the station. It was then that he realized how full the station was. All eyes were turned on him. All showed sympathy and concern. All had heard, he realized that. His kind knew when one of the pack was distressed, extremely distressed. They also had a keen sense of hearing and he knew they had heard his side of the conversation. There was not much privacy in this town. But that was just the way it was.

Matt's gaze went from face to face. There was Kanin, Sherman, and Vivian. There were the station workers and the one other officer. He couldn't face them now. Not now. Matt turned his face into his hands, elbows propped onto the desk, and thought "If Sophia dies, I will ask for death."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there it is. My first chapter ever! Those of you wondering where Lucas is....well just you wait. Sophia isn't the only one going through changes! Wolf Lake's bad boy has missed her badly. Check out how badly, next time.

I'd love to hear from you! Review me please. I'd love you so...


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the positive reviews. I'm very excited about my ideas for this story, so your encouragement keeps them coming. There was a question about whether Kainin knows about skinwalkers yet, as he was in the station in Chapter One. My thoughts were that out of everyone else in the station, he was the only one who could not hear through the glass window. He could see Matt was deeply upset, and see how everyone around him was affected, and he therefore assumes something happened to Sophia. He doesn't know what it is, but feels reluctant to disturb Matt in obvious grief. The others certainly don't tell him anything. Hope that answers it.

Enjoy Chapter Two!

Chapter 2: Emptiness

Coach Avery was a very happy guy. This was his third year at Wolf Lake High and he felt as though he'd never want to leave. Looking at his varsity baseball team practice for the spring season, he knew that they would win yet another trophy. This group of young athletes was unbeatable at whatever they did. The trophies were piling up in the coaches' office: football, basketball, and baseball. These kids were a wonder. His first year here, he questioned what their secret could be. Was it in the water? Or perhaps the fresh air? He even thought perhaps it was steroids. But there was no evidence for that. These kids were very strong and tireless. They were lithe and very quick. Sometimes a little too aggressive, but the coach always relied on Lucas Cates to set them back in place. Cates seemed such a natural born leader and the others always listened to him. The coach was always careful to be diplomatic with Lucas in letting him know his expectations for the team. So far, it worked very well. Scouts came from many different universities and many of these kids were offered full sports scholarships. But that was something the coach couldn't understand about these kids. None of them accepted the scholarships, and their parents would turn the scouts down and simply say that their sons needed to stay and run the family businesses.

The coach noticed that another thing they all had in common was that they attended the same church. He wondered if perhaps the churched preached some doctrine of being perfect at what you do. He decided one Sunday, a few years back, to attend a service and check it out but he was stopped at the door and told that they were accepting no new members. So he concluded in the back of his mind that they must have some sort of cult thing going on. After all, the families that attended there were the ones in charge of this town. Yet the coach decided he didn't want to dig too deep. He liked the way things were. He was very proud of the boys and loved the trophies and titles they earned. He could see the envy on the faces of opposing teams and their coaches. He loved it.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, time to call it a day. The coach blew his whistle and waved them in. The boys grabbed their gear and headed for the locker room, the coach fell in place behind them. Suddenly, the boys stopped and stood extremely still and gazed toward the northeast. The coach almost bumped into one of them. He looked around to see what they were staring at and could see nothing out of the ordinary. "What's up boys?" No one answered. No one moved a muscle. It was as if they were frozen in place. "Boys?" "Cates, what's going on?" "What do you see out there?"

No one spoke. All were listening to the distress signal only their kind could here. Something bad was happening to one of the pack. They listened carefully trying to discern who it was and what the problem could be. The coaches' questions were irritating them. Lucas replied, without moving, "Don't worry about it coach. Go home." The coach stood a few more seconds', and then walked away. These kids were strange, he thought.

Sean and Randy stepped up next to Lucas. Sean was the first to speak, "Is that Donner?" "Yeah. Shhh..." Lucas needed to hear what was going on. He felt a growing fear. God! Donner was crying! This had to be bad. He knew there was only one person the sheriff cared that much about. Sophia! Luke found his hand reach up to steady himself on Randy's shoulder. He felt as if the wind was knocked out of him and his feet would no longer support him. Randy staggered at the impact and he turned to look at Lucas, confused. "She's dead, isn't she? Sophia's dead!" Lucas found himself saying. Another boy, Adam stepped up next to Randy. "No, I don't think so. That's not what I heard. I heard him say her name as if he were speaking to her." Lucas glared at Adam, wondering why Adam could hear so well. "What else did you hear?" ordered Lucas. Adam looked at the alpha's son and knew he had better be right. But Adam knew what he heard, he was sure of it. "He was giving her advice, about ... flipping."

Lucas' head snapped back towards the northeast. He had no idea how to feel. Sophia was flipping! Yes!!! Isn't this what he always hoped for? But why did a big knot of fear fill his belly at the same time as excitement flood his heart? He knew why. She was a half-breed skinwalker. Her chances of successfully flipping were not good. He sensed his mother was near Donner. He used his familiar mental pathway to communicate with his mother. _Mom? Is it true? Sophia is flipping? In Italy?_

_Yes, it seems so. This is bad. This is why none of us should leave Wolf Lake, came the reply. Lucas, I'm going to stay with Matt for awhile. He's very upset. Can you get dinner yourself tonight?_

Lucas was shocked that his mother could think of such trivial things at a time like this. _Yeah. Don't worry about me._

Lucas glanced at the others and they all seemed to be waiting for some kind of direction from him. "Hit the showers," was all he could tell them. He didn't want anyone around him. He didn't want to speak to anyone. He needed to think. He needed to feel.

The others walked off towards the locker room leaving him alone with his thoughts. He heard a snap and looked down at the bat he had been holding. It snapped like a twig under his worried grip.

Sherman stepped into Matt's office, looking very sympathetic. He sat himself in a chair across from his old friend and folding his hands in his lap. "Many are gathering at the church tonight Matt. They'll be sending their prayers to help Sophia."

Matt sat slumped in his chair. His red rimmed eyes staring at the phone, waiting for some word. He glanced up at Sherman, barely registering what he said. Then he nodded an acknowledgment. Vivian came in with a cup of coffee in which she placed in front of Matt. Then she came around behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Matt's hand instantly went up to grasp hers. He needed the comfort of touch. He needed to feel connected to someone. Vivian felt a jolt at his need and yet it pleased her as well. She too, had been bereft of touch since Willard died seven months ago. To be able to have this connection with Matt, even under these circumstances, felt very good. Matt had been her first love many years ago and she had been thinking about him more and more of late. But she knew Matt would never cross that line with her. She was the alpha now. Any male that became her mate would also have to proclaim himself alpha. She knew Matt did not want that job. He rejected that position long ago. So Vivian decided to be content with whatever friendship they could have, although her dreams desired otherwise.

Lucas stood under the stream of the shower, his hands and forehead resting against the cold wall tiles. The water flowed over his well muscled, lean body as he closed his eyes and thought how important this night is to him. The others had quickly retreated from the shower room, sensing their leaders' need to be alone. She had to be all right. She just had to, he agonized. She was his friend. The only girl he knew that he could talk to about anything. The only one who did not expect things from him. She was a source of comfort when the pressure of being the future alpha got too much. But he felt so guilty about that night. He felt it was his fault that she left so quickly. He didn't even have the chance to apologize. Not that he wouldn't do it again. He knew he would protect her from anyone trying to force himself on her. That's how he perceived the situation. With his wolven senses, he could see Scot's lust and knew he wanted more than a kiss. What set him off was the lack of lust on Sofia's part. He could tell that Sofia did not desire more and she was too nice to tell Scott. He had to do something. It was against all that had been taught to him. Males of his species never, and I mean never, are allowed to force themselves on an unwilling female. If a female did not give off a sexual musk around you, then you did not have permission to proceed further. But human boys had no such senses. And human boys had no honor. He heard of how they get girls pregnant and then deny it is theirs. He heard of how they pledge a vow of marriage and then run off and cheat on their wives. No one would treat Sophia like that. No one!

Lucas knew Sophia had a hard time understanding skinwalker morals as well. They were very sexual beings, highly erotic. It was their nature. But once they found their mates, and completed the mating ritual, they would be loyal to each other for life. It was an unbreakable bond. If, by chance, a pregnancy should occur before being mated, then the couple would immediately be mated in a special ceremony. A male never denied his pups, nor did he want to. In fact, it was an occasion that made him extremely proud. Nevertheless, the teens of the species, who did not feel ready to be mated yet, freely engaged in sexual sport. It was healthy and expected. As long as they mated in human form, they would not conceive.

Lucas thought of how his lifestyle made Sophia blush. Her father had sheltered her so much. He made her believe she was human like her mother, that she should adopt the human "morals". But he did not believe the human way was right at all. He had heard human boys bragging to each other about their conquests. They categorize girls as "good girls" and "bad girls". Skinwalker females had no such labels. They were free to experience all they wanted before they were mated. How else could they make a wise choice of mate? Wouldn't you want to know if your mate could satisfy you before you committed? And the males certainly enjoyed proving they were the best in that arena!

"Damn it! Why the hell does she have to be in Italy!" Lucas pounded the tile wall in front of him in anger. Two tiles fell off and cracked onto the floor. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and help her through it. He needed her to make it. He needed to be with her now. Suddenly he remembered what he could do and need for it drove him straight outside into the yard in the growing dusk. He was still nude, but that is how he wanted it to be. It was what he needed to be as he shifted effortlessly into a beautiful dark gray wolf. Off into the tree line he raced, off to the one place he knew he could find the comfort he so desperately needed.

The skinwalker teens gathered outside the church where their parents had mentally told them to meet. Inside, the adults were chanting prayers for Sophia. "Where's Lucas?" Presley whined when Sean and Randy walked up to the group. "What do you think we are? His keeper?" snapped Randy. He did not like how clingy Presley was around Lucas. He knew Lucas did not want to be mated with anyone in particular yet and he was tired of Presley's ceaseless possessiveness. "You're such an ass Randy. What are we doing here anyway? Who cares about that worthless half-breed?" Presley complained. Her friends Krissy and Dawn flanked her on each side and put on expressions of agreement. They always agreed with Presley, which is why Presley probably wanted them around. She was queen of her own little world.

Sean shot her a look of disgust. "Why don't you just shut your rabid mouth Presley? Sheriff Donner is still a very powerful and respected male and ... Sophia has lots of friends."

Presley knew he was referring to the friendship between Lucas and Sophia and it irked her to no end. Why would are next Alpha take such an interest in that mousy little geek? We use to have so much fun ragging on that twit, she thought. Sean could read Presley's disgruntled thoughts. She was right. They did poke fun at Sophia when they were younger and easily led by Presley's vicious nature. But Presley's grudge against Sophia was getting tiresome and, in reality, Sean thought Sophia smart and sweet. He felt himself really caring about what happens to her. "C'mon, we should go inside." Sean said as he made his way up the church stairs. In the absence of Lucas, Sean was next in command. He was a destined Beta. They all turned to follow him. Presley was the last to enter, stopping just outside to scan for Lucas. She couldn't sense him near. "Lucas Cates, where are you?" Then she took some measure of comfort. Perhaps he didn't really care that much for Sophia if he wasn't here.

Lucas opened the bedroom window and stepped inside. It was unlocked. He knew it would be because he had been here before, many times. It was her bedroom. Sophia's. It was his sanctuary these last six months. This is where he came to sort things out. This is where he came to make himself feel better when he was down. This is where comfort was. This is where her scent was. Sophia's special scent. It always calmed him, soothed his hurts, and gave him strength. He had come here three days after she had left for Italy, just to peek into the glass and see for himself that she was really gone, when he noticed it was unlocked. Since then he had come here often, when the Sheriff was at work, for various reasons. But mostly he just needed her scent. He would close his eyes and inhale the essence of Sophia, feeling like she was near. He would laugh when he pictured her face in his mind and how shocked she would be to find him here naked. It always made him feel better.

Today he crawled straight onto her bed and grabbed onto her pillow, inhaling deeply. Her scent was slowly fading away after six months, and with his presence here so many times before, it was becoming mingled with his. The mingling of their two scents was beginning to give him other thoughts, other urges. Hope flared inside his chest as he thought of Sophia becoming skinwalker. Would she adapt to their lifestyle? His body became hard at the thought. He let out a short laugh at the imagined look on her face. He loved shocking her. She looked so cute like that. But then the smile faded as the seriousness of the situation hit him. She may die. She may never come home. He grabbed on tighter to the pillow and prayed.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Please review me... my fingers are itching to type!


	3. Chapter Three

**Thank you to my reviewers! Keep it up! Here we go:**

Chapter 3: Pack on the Run

Sherman still sat in Matt's office, as he had the last few hours, listening to the prayers coming from the church across town. He closed his eyes and added his own silent prayers to the ancestors to help guide Sophia. Suddenly the loud ringing of the phone woke him from his meditation.

Mathew Donner did not know if he wanted to answer it or not. His fear was palpable in the room. Vivian came back into the now open door of his office. Everyone else had left the station over an hour ago at Vivian's request. Now she nodded at Matt when he turned his frightened eyes on her. He slowly reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Mathew?" came the thick Italian accent.

Matt swallowed, "Yes?"

"Um... a... Sophia..."

"Yes?"

"She a... is a wolf." Pete sounded frightened.

Matt almost spat the words out, "She's alive?"

"Ah... yes, I think so. She is lying on the bed. Her eye is open and she looks around, but she does not get up."

Tears of joy started falling from Matt's eyes. "Oh my god, she made it. She made it." Vivian and Sherman breathed sighs of relief and smiled at Matt's happiness. Vivian could not help but cry with him.

"Matt?" continued Pete, "What do we do now?"

Matt tried to think of what to tell Pete but his joy at the news overwhelmed his senses.

"You don't have to do anything anymore Pete." laughed the Sheriff. He felt like he could fly. "She's just exhausted Pete. She'll change back soon, when she's rested."

"Oh! O.K. Matt." Pete sounded relieved.

"Don't worry Pete. She won't bite you or anything. She is fully aware of who she is and who you are. She can understand everything you say to her." Matt explained.

"That is good."

"Pete, tell Sophia that I love her and to call me later after she's rested."

"O.K. I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Pete," said Matt. "Oh, and Pete, thank you for everything." Matt hung up the phone, stood and gave Vivian a long hug. "I'm so happy and relieved right now, I can't contain it."

Vivian pulled out of his arms and looked him in the face. "Well, what are you going to do about it?" She smiled a challenge at him.

Sherman laughed from the corner of the office. Matt looked from Vivian to Sherman and back to Vivian as he said, "I'm going to lead a run."

Vivian's eyes widened in surprise. Matt had not flipped for almost eighteen years! But of course, why should he hold back now? He had no more excuses not to.

Matt started unbuttoning his shirt and soon all three of them were discarding their clothing, excitement filling their bodies. Out the back door of the station they hurried, transforming when they reached the nearby tree line. Matt led Vivian and Sherman towards the church filled with skinwalkers. They raced in their wolven forms, howling their happiness and good news to the others.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the church, all chanting stopped. They listened to the approaching howls. Smiles and laughs of joy spread among the congregation. The teens in the group cheered and clapped. Someone who had run outside now ran back in, "There is a run tonight and Donner is leading it!" Amazement spread across their faces. Matt Donner is leading a run! Everyone piled outside discarding their clothes near the darkness of the trees and taking off in their wolven forms. More and more howls joined the chorus as the pack joyfully ran together through the woods around Wolf Lake. Over a hundred and fifty wolves ran together, leaping over fallen trees, springing off rocks, splashing through puddles left by spring rains. The howls rang louder and louder, so many that they sounded like one. This was a celebration of life.

---------------------------------------------------

The humans of Wolf Lake shut their windows and locked their doors. Televisions and radios were turned up higher to drown out the howls. This was one of those nights were the wolves get too close to town, they thought. They supposed this place wasn't called Wolf Lake for nothing.

--------------------------------------------------

Lucas Cates lay asleep on Sophia's bed. It was dark in the room except for the slash of moonlight that fell over his legs from the window. Suddenly his eyes opened as his instincts came alive. His head lifted and he listened to the howls coming from the open window. He sprang off the bed and stuck his head out the window, listening carefully. Those weren't howls of mourning... they were howls of joy, of celebration! He knew what this meant! Sophia made it! She made it! He whooped for joy and jumped, forgetting that his head was still in the window frame. Bang! But he couldn't care less about the pain. Sophia had made it! He jumped down from the window onto the ground outside and quickly becoming his wolf he raced off through the forest to join the others. His strong legs jumped swiftly over every obstacle, the wind racing through his fur. He felt stronger than ever and he let out a long howl of joy. Sophia would be coming home now, he thought. She would have to. He yipped and howled as he caught up with the others.

Pack runs were very exhilarating. The power and connection they felt when they ran together intoxicated their senses. Mated wolves usually ended up mating on these nights and the teens would end up at the rave sight until dawn, engaging in fun of their own. Yes, Lucas thought, this is a night to celebrate! He caught up with his friends and they nudged him and gave him howls of welcome.

**Florence, Italy**

Sophia Donner lay on her bed in her uncle's home, having just transformed back into her human form. She propped herself up on her elbows and gazed down at her body. "I did it. I really did it." she thought to herself. Then she gave a little laugh and lay back down on the pillow. She started to think of all the things she would be able to do now. All the things she saw the other skinwalkers do and a big grin filled her face.

A light knock on the door made her quickly pull the sheet over her nude form.

The door opened a crack. "Hello? Sophia?"

"Come in Paulo. It's o.k." she smiled.

Paulo came slowly into the room. He saw she was smiling and he started to smile back. Paulo, her nineteen-year-old cousin, had been her best friend and confidante during her time in Italy.

He was a little nervous after witnessing the events of the day.

"You're o.k.?"

"Yeah. Actually I feel pretty good. Would you mind handing me a robe?"

Paulo blushed, "Oh yes." He turned to get a robe from the closet. "I... uh... had to remove your clothing. When you changed... you know... into the wolf. The clothes covered up all of you. I was afraid you could not breathe." He handed her the robe.

"Thank you Paulo. That was the right thing to do." She made a gesture with her finger that meant "turn around". Paulo did so as she put the robe on and stood up on her feet. He noticed her glasses on the table and picked them up.

"O.k. I'm decent." Paulo turned and handed her the glasses. "Thanks. Whoa... I don't think I need these anymore." she exclaimed as she tried them on. Everything was blurry.

Paulo was amazed. She looked so different. Her hair seemed to shine with golden highlights and her skin tone was that of a well-tanned swimsuit model. Her body seemed better formed, like an athlete. "Are you like a super human now or something?" he asked in awe.

"I don't think human is the right word." Sophia laughed at his expression.

Just then Uncle Pete and Aunt Rosanna walked in. Her aunt put her hand on her heart and let out a big sigh of relief. Uncle Pete still looked concerned.

"Sophia? You all right? No more pain?" he asked cautiously.

Sophia felt very good. She laughed and said, "I'm really fine now. Really. It's something you only have to go through once, like dying, being born, the first time you have sex and ..." The family widened their eyes in shock. "Not that I would know anything about that." she quickly added.

"Are you hungry?" Aunt Rosanna ventured.

"Starving! I could eat a deer!" she joked. Again they looked at her. "I'm kidding! I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't joke." She looked at them seriously. "Thank you, all of you, for helping me. I love you all. And I want you to know that I'll remain human as long as I am in Italy. I promise. So please don't treat me any differently than before. Let's just pretend this day didn't happen."

The family looked at her and tried to smile. They were relieved to think she wouldn't become a wolf again. It was disconcerting to have a wolf in the house, skinwalker or not.

Uncle Pete came over to Sophia and wrapped her in his arms. "We love you too Sophia. We are so happy you are all right." He breathed a huge sigh of relief.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, hope you enjoyed Chapter Three, it had to be written twice as my computer froze right before I was going to save it. I think it's better this time anyway. See - all things happen for a reason!

Let me know if you like Paulo, the hunky Italian cousin. I was thinking of bringing him to Wolf Lake for a visit. Whatcha think?


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello readers! Just a warning that things may get more sexual from this point on. But since I've put this on the Rated R page, I guess that's to be expected. Hope you enjoy.**

**Let me know. Thanks.**

**Chapter 4: Homecoming**

Three weeks had passed since Sophia had become skinwalker. She thought at first she could suppress her wolf as she had promised her aunt and uncle that fateful day. But the need to flip and become her wolf pressed on her senses more and more each day. The smell of meat and blood would cause her teeth to elongate and her mouth to water. The smell of trees would send her feet running.

Worst of all was her libido. She would see guys she was attracted to and find herself imagining all sorts of interesting things. At times she would strike up conversations and flirt with boys she barely knew. The old Sophia never did such things. If it weren't for Paulo's watchful eye, she probably would have gotten herself into trouble.

It was then she realized that she needed to go home. At night she would dream of the lake and forests she left behind. She would dream of the wolves running through the forest and of one wolf in particular, a large dark gray, who would sit on the pier waiting.

So now, just three weeks later, she found herself sitting on a plane, flying home. What would it be like to be home again, now as a skinwalker? How will the others treat her? These thoughts were foremost on her mind when she heard the voice, "We will be landing in Seattle in twenty minutes, please fold any remaining trays up and make sure your belongings are safely stored under the seat in front of you."

Excitement raced through her as she thought of her father waiting for her at the airport. She had not seen him for seven months, though she had just talked to him last night. He was extremely happy she was coming home and she knew he had been cleaning and filling the house with her favorite foods.

She looked out the window and watched the rain pelt against the thick glass. Not even the storm outside would get her down today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt Donner sat at gate 9B, waiting for Sophia's plane to land. He had arrived an hour ago, just in case her plane came early, he reasoned. He had missed Sophia so much. Since Marie had died, it had been just him and Sophia caring for each other. He hated being alone and had filled his time with extra shifts at work. Now his little girl would be returning and he would see her smiles, listen to her corny jokes, and resume their Friday night movie marathons again.

Of course, now she was also skinwalker, so some things would be different. His little girl would need more meat and, he smiled at the thought, they could go on some runs together. Matt had not told her that he had returned to skinwalker ways yet. It was going to be his little surprise for her.

Finally the plane landed and Matt stood and waited anxiously for the plane to disembark. He looked at the crowd of people filing through the doorway, waiting for the kid with the goofy smile on her face. But she did not come. There were only a few stragglers left now and he began to worry that he had the wrong gate until a woman's voice said, "Dad?"

Matt turned to look at the person next to him and an expression of shock came across his face. It was Sophia, but not the Sophia he had expected. This Sophia was older, this Sophia was no longer a kid. She was a young woman. "Sophia?"

"Dad!" she smiled brightly and flew into his arms. The shock wore off and he hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground. "Sophia! Welcome home sweetheart." He placed her down and backed slightly away to get a better look at her. She smiled proudly and smoothed out her Italian leather mini skirt.

"Well, what do you think? Do I look cosmo or what?" she laughed.

"My god Sophia. I didn't even recognize you! You grew up on me while you were away!" He looked at her hopeful face. "Sweetheart, you're absolutely beautiful."

"Yeah, well your looking pretty good yourself dad."

"Well, I've got some news for you too." he smiled. "But first let's get your luggage and hit the road." He placed his arm around her as they walked toward the baggage claim area.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt had told no one that Sophia was coming home that day, preferring to have her all to his self. They filled each other in on every thing they could think of and chatted happily away all the way home.

As they approached the "Welcome to Wolf Lake Sign", Sophia noticed a large, dark gray wolf sitting under it. It struck her that this was the wolf from her dreams and she turned her head as they passed it. It seemed to watch her as well. A feeling of warmth filled her mind and she heard a male voice say "Welcome home Sophia."

That must have been Lucas she pondered. It sounded like him and she did remember his pelt color from long ago.

"Dad, I thought you said you didn't tell anyone I'd be coming home today." Sophia found herself saying.

"I didn't." he looked at her. "But I see that you're being sensed out all ready." He sighed deeply. "Well, I guess it was to be expected. A new skinwalker entering Wolf Lake territory will cause a stir."

"But I'm not new dad. I've lived here all my life." she frowned.

"Sophia the human lived in Wolf Lake before. Now Sophia the skinwalker is arriving. There is a big difference. The whole pack will take an interest in you and where you will fit in" Matt started to look serious.

"This brings up some important things Sophia. You realize that other females may not take to you right away. An unmated female skinwalker is more competition to the other unmated females. They will want to know where you fit in the hierarchy and if you pose a threat to their positions in the pack."

"Dad, I don't want their positions! I don't care about all that status stuff."

Matt wasn't surprised she would say this, seeing how he had raised her, but he knew that her attitude was unrealistic. She really had no idea what being part of a pack was like and that certain things were just part of their nature. It bothered him that she would most likely have to learn the hard way. They all had to.

"Just be careful sweetheart. Remember that you have your own strength now." he didn't know how much detail he should go into right now. He supposed they would have to just take things one day at a time.

"As for the males..." Matt ran one hand through his hair. He had no idea how to talk to her about these things. After all, it was skinwalker mothers that trained their daughters in that area.

"Dad, stop worrying. I already know about that stuff." she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You do? How?" Matt was surprised.

"From Sarah and ... well... other friends who have flipped. They told me a lot already."

"They did? What do you think you know?" he asked.

Now Sophia felt embarrassed. It was one thing to talk to friends about this stuff and another to talk with your dad about it.

"I know that you can only get pregnant in your wolf form."

"That's it?" Oh God! Matt knew she would have a lot to learn and she had better learn it fast. "Sophia... teen skinwalkers... well..." he struggled with this.

"I know, I know, they have a lot of sex!" she said turning red.

"Sophia!" Matt just had to laugh, the tension was too thick. "O.K., yes, they do. Not having to worry about pregnancy and disease, it's always been that way. However, it's not just that simple."

He had her full attention now.

"O.K." he began, "You know how males cannot force unwilling females? That it's against our laws?"

"Yes, I know that"

"Well, that doesn't stop them from trying to make females willing. Seducing females is a major past time with young males. They will release their musk around you while flirting and this alone causes some females to return musk. Once you return musk, they go in for the kill, so to speak."

"Dad, you sound like a wild kingdom documentary." she laughed.

"What I'm trying to say is... you have to learn to control your responses to the males or you'll... well... "

"End up on my back a lot?" she joked.

"This is not funny!" he tried not to smile. "I don't want you to have a lot of pressure to do things you may not be ready for." He gave a frustrated sigh. "God I'm terrible at this!"

"It's o.k. dad. I understand what you're saying."

"I'm not sure you do. I feel like your going into a bullfight with a red dress on."

Sophia laughed. "Don't worry so much dad. I'll handle it."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia felt joy when they pulled up to her house on this Tuesday evening. It was good to be home! She ran in through the familiar kitchen doorway and noticed that her father had hung up the sketches she had sent him from Florence. These sketches told the story of her time away and it touched her that her father had hung them up in order.

Suddenly the phone rang and she heard her father call her, "Sophia, it's Sarah."

Sophia grabbed the phone, "Sarah!! Oh my God! Hi! ... Yes, I had an awesome time ... No, I'm not busy right now. Want to meet at the diner? .... O.k. I'll bring some of my pictures. O.k. see you in about fifteen minutes. Bye."

Matt felt a little disappointed that she'd be going somewhere already, but she was really excited about seeing Sarah again so he didn't make an issue of it. "Can I drop you off? I should stop by the station for a little while anyway. I kind of took off without telling them my whereabouts." he smiled.

"Sure dad, that would be great." She went to her luggage to search for her pictures.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

They pulled up in front of the diner and Sophia could see Sarah was there already, sitting in a booth by the window. They waved at each other excitedly.

"I'll swing by in about an hour to take you home. Will that give you two enough time?"

"I think so." she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Bye dad."

Matt watched Sophia walk up to the diner. She no longer looked or walked like a kid. She was stunning and he feared for her. He scanned the area to see whom he could sense nearby. It seemed a quiet night at the diner. She should be fine, he reasoned. He pulled away and drove to the station.

The two friends sat across from each other and Sophia seemed to find endless things to tell Sarah. Sarah listened raptly to Sophia's trip, knowing that she would probably never leave Wolf Lake herself.

They finally got to discuss Sophia's flip and Sarah was amazed at how Sophia's human relatives helped her through it.

Sophia's old co workers at the diner all welcomed her home as well and asked her if she would be wanting her old job back. She said she would think about it.

She really didn't know what she wanted right now. Maybe when things settled down for her a bit, she would return to work. She didn't want to think about that right now. The old Sophia she had left behind in Italy just didn't appeal to her. She felt different and knew that her life would be different from now on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas Cates lay with his back against a log in the clearing of the forest that the teens used for their nightly raves. His friends were all relaxing in close proximity to him; some were drinking and listening to music, some talking to each other, some in various stages of seducing the females.

Presley lay with her head on his lap, slowly running her fingers along his thigh. Lucus barely acknowledged her as he thought about the glimpse he had of Sophia coming home today. He expected she would be spending time with her father tonight. He closed his eyes and concentrated in the direction of her house. His eyes flew open.

No one was home, he realized.

He shut his eyes again and scanned the police station. Sheriff was there, but no Sophia.

He tried again, this time concentrating on Sophia, and saw images of her at the diner, with Sarah. An excitement began to build in him at the images flashing through his mind. He could see long, shapely legs, and brown shiny hair with blonde highlights. She was skinwalker now. An unmated skinwalker female. Instincts as old as his species began to take over. He felt a haze in his mind forming, his eyes flashing and fangs lengthening.

Presley lifted her head and looked at his face. She started to musk and said in a husky voice, "Mmmm Lucas... you want to fuck me, don't you?" She turned onto her back in a submissive gesture. Lucas sprang to his feet, his body tense. The others all looked at him in alert. What was their leader sensing?

_Stay here._

He projected these words into their minds. Presley sat up and frowned. What is he doing? She watched as Lucas took off at a run towards town. Her musk hung heavy in the air and she had not noticed that Randy had crawled up behind her until she felt his arm pull her against his body. "Don't worry Pres, I'll take care of you tonight." Presley growled with pleasure.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

There were very few customers in the diner that night. All of them were skinwalkers, including the employees. This particular diner did not attract many humans as they felt uncomfortable there. The skinwalkers liked to be around their own and the diner was a social place outside of church to meet.

Sophia and Sarah sipped their coffees and chatted happily away. Sarah was now telling Sophia about what she had been missing at school when suddenly she clamed up. Her face began to have a stricken look and she gazed around the restaurant at the other skinwalkers. Sophia felt a change in the atmosphere as well, but she did not know what it meant.

Everyone in the diner looked disturbed and nervous. Sarah said, "Do you feel that?" Sophia tried to concentrate on her feelings. Something was building and growing, there was something powerful approaching.

Sarah suddenly jumped up from her seat, upsetting her coffee and Sophia stood too and looked around.

"What is it?" she was frightened now and she didn't like the look on Sarah's face.

"Oh god Sophia. Did you hear that? He said "Get out!" I've got to go."

Sophia watched Sarah grab her belongings and start to walk out. She yelled, "Sarah? Who said it? What's going on?"

Sophia's head whipped around in all directions as she noticed everyone else had hurried out of the diner. She was about to gather up her pictures and leave too when the lights went out.

Rain clouds had covered any moon glow that would have normally been present and even though Sophia could see better than she used to, her fear added to the sense of blackness. Her heart began to beat wildly and she slowly began to notice that a figure of a man was standing on the far side of the diner, near the back door.

She turned in the opposite direction, fear making her bump into tables and chairs. She felt two arms wrap around her from behind and the will to struggle against them drained out of her as the overwhelming power of the moment took over.

One strong hand rested softly against her flat belly as the other hand dropped to the bottom edge of her skirt on her side. Sophia's heart beat loudly and she still shook with fear, but somehow she knew she must not struggle.

The hand on her belly started making slow, caressing circles and pushed her back against his hard rigid body. An excitement started to build in Sophia, mixed with her fear. The other hand caressed her leg and then slowly trailed up along her hip and up her arm to her shoulder. She felt him gather her long hair together and put it over her other shoulder, leaving the side of her neck exposed.

This was too much to bare, Sophia's body screamed out for something, something she couldn't name. Her senses became overwhelmed as she felt his hot breath on her neck and he whispered, "Shhhh... it's all right baby. I've got you." He seemed to be regulating her heartbeat with his, trying to calm her body and her fears.

His fingers pulled the collar of her shirt open and away from her shoulder, leaving it exposed to his hot breath. Sophia was breathing hard and her mind drifted in a fog, she lay her head back, against his chest and a feeling of warmth and security began to replace her fear.

Then she felt his teeth sink into her shoulder and hold her still. The pain was sharp, but she found it was not unpleasurable. Her body jolted with the power she felt entering her through his contact. She felt herself musking as he continued to pull on her, his tongue licking the drops of blood and the salt of her skin.

Her arousal shot through him like an arrow and he gave a husky growl, pressing her backside harder against his own arousal.

His senses suddenly became aware of her father driving to the diner at breakneck speed. He must have sensed her distress, Lucas thought as he gave Sophia's shoulder one last long lick. "Don't worry Sophia, we'll continue this soon." He released his hold on her and slipped quickly out the back door.

Sophia turned around and reached up to her shoulder where she had been bit. The fog in her mind was starting to clear. Oh god, what had just happened, she thought. I just about had sex with Lucas Cates! She looked out the window and noticed her dad pulling up in the parking lot. She grabbed her things and ran out to the truck before he could get out of his seat.

"Sweetie, is everything all right? What happened?" but his senses were already drawn to her shoulder. He reached up and pulled the loosened shirt from her shoulder. Matt stared at the wound and then looked at Sophia's confused face.

"I don't know what happened dad. Well, I guess I do, but I don't know why he would just come in and do this." She shook her head and tears formed in her eyes.

Matt Donner sighed heavily and sat back into his seat, staring straight ahead. He knew exactly why Lucas did this and he wasn't sure he should kill the kid or thank him. His hand went out to Sophia and grasped hers. He sighed again.

"Dad?" Sophia cried softly, "Please say something."

"Well honey, the young alpha male has officially accepted you into the pack."

She stared at him, waiting for more explanation.

"By giving you that bite," he continued, "he has given you his acceptance and protection."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that you won't have such a hard time being accepted by the others now. If Lucas accepts you, they have to as well."

"You're not mad at him?" Sophia was surprised.

"I'm mad that he frightened you, yes. But I'm not mad that he is preventing my little girl from getting into fights." He could see she was still confused. "These are skinwalker ways and whether or not I like it, he did do the right thing."

Sophia had a lot to think about on the way home. She now knew that she had a lot to learn about controlling her musk. He overpowered her too quickly and she was determined not to let herself be so easily affected again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Please review this chapter and let me know your thoughts! Thanks**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! It pleased me to get so many positive responses to the last chapter. I am having lots of fun writing this. I have to admit that I don't remember the real names of Sophia's friends from the show. I wish they would put the shows on DVD! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 5 - Friends**

Sophia woke early the next morning. She was apprehensive about starting school again and especially about facing Lucas after last night. She fussed and fretted about what to wear and she combed her hair in about five different ways before deciding on what style she would present.

She did not want to dress like the old Sophia, because she no longer looked or felt like that girl. She decided she liked her new shapely body very much, and did not want to hide it under baggy clothes. She chose jeans and a form-fitting top, which she had bought in Italy and decided she looked pretty good.

When she came downstairs, Matt could tell how nervous she was. "You don't have to start today Sophia. After all, they don't even know you are home yet."

"I need to get this day over with Dad. If I put it off, it will just give me one more day of fearing it."

"O.k. sweetie. Come on, I'll drive you. It's still pretty early though and I need to stop by Vivian's to return some notes of Willard's that I borrowed."

"The Cates house Dad?" Sophia said apprehensively.

"Do you know any other Vivians?" he smiled. He knew she feared running into Luke, but he also knew that she had to face him sooner or later. Better now when Vivian and I will be there, he reasoned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas was dressing for school when he heard the Sheriff drive up to the house. He also sensed Sophia was with him.

"Great", he thought, "they are going to complain to mom about last night."

He watched them get out of the truck from a crack in the draperies. Damn, Sophia looked so hot. This was the first time he had seen her in the light of day since she had arrived home and he growled his approval. Life is getting much more interesting, he smiled.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vivian sensed their arrival as well and walked out of the house to meet them. She smiled at Sophia and hugged her. "Welcome to the pack Sophia. I'm so glad you are back. Matt did not say you were coming back yet."  
  
Matt spoke first, "It was a surprise."

"Well it's a good surprise." she smiled. She looked at Sophia's shoulder and said, "I'm so proud of Luke for performing the Rilot to you."

"The what?" asked Sophia.

She lifted her eyebrows at Matt, surprised he did not tell Sophia himself. "The Rilot is the ritual of accepting a new pack member."  
  
"Oh... you mean the bite." Sophia looked miffed.

"Yes! Did you feel how much power he put into it? I felt it all the way from here." she said excitedly. "He is getting more and more powerful. I think he will make an excellent Alpha once he is old enough. I think he will be even more powerful than Willard."

Before they could respond Lucas stepped out of the house. He was wearing jeans and a button down shirt, except he had not fastened any of the buttons and his chest gleamed in the morning sun. He wore a wicked grin as he said, "Good morning Sophia, Sheriff.

Sophia glared at him; Matt only nodded a small stiff nod without hardly looking at him.

"Lucas, you had better eat, it's almost time for school." Vivian reminded him.

Lucas took one more look at Sophia and grinned. He turned to walk slowly back into the house.

Sophia felt angry. How could he be so easy going after last night? She stomped off after him. "I'll be right back Dad."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas heard her angry steps as she entered the kitchen behind him.  
  
"I thought we were friends Lucas." she declared angrily.

"I did it **because** we are friends Sophia. I don't want you having a hard time with the others." he explained as he bent his head into the refrigerator, looking for breakfast.

"I am not just talking about the bite!" she continued.

Lucas could easily read her thoughts. She had no idea how to shield them from him. She was standing behind him while he looked into the refrigerator. He knew she was staring at his ass and he also saw that she had thoughts of licking something off his chest. He smiled at her thoughts and grabbed a jar of red jelly.

Lucas turned to face her after sticking his finger in the jelly. He slowly smeared a line of jelly over his nipple and down to his muscular belly. "I only want to please you Sophia." He teased. "My only request is that you let me lick my breakfast off your body when you're done."

Sophia's eyes flashed for a moment but then she realized he had read her thoughts and she felt horrified. She backed away from him, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared out the window with tears in her eyes.

Lucas did not like to see her like this. She is not used to being a skinwalker yet, he reasoned, she still thinks sex is wrong. He turned to the sink and grabbed a cloth to wipe the jelly off. He glanced back at her. She looks like a baby bird that fell out of her nest and is exposed to danger. He started to feel sympathy for her when it dawned on him that it was more than just being uncomfortable with sex. She was uncomfortable about not having control!

After he was clean, he turned around to face her. He wanted to put his arms around her to reassure her, but he knew she would think it was a come on. He leaned his back against the sink and started buttoning his shirt.

"Sophia, I never have told you this before," he said in a serious voice, "but your friendship has always been important to me."

She looked at him now, still quietly weeping.

"I never want to lose that with you." he continued. "That's why I'm going to help you."

She gave him a confused look.

"I want to help you learn how to block your thoughts. I can also help you with sending thoughts to others, and sensing other people's thoughts and feelings. Most of us your age have had more time to practice this stuff and I know it will be hard at first for you, especially shielding."

He looks sincere, she thought.

"We can start practicing today, after school." he suggested.

Sophia immediately became suspicious. He could see her thoughts. She thought he was just finding an excuse to get down her pants.

"Sophia, I promise I won't try to mess around with you. Honest. Unless you want me too." he smiled.

"You expect me to believe that after last night and this morning?" she demanded.

"I won't apologize for being a male attracted to a hot female," he stated. "But I will promise you that I'll be good, during our lessons. I can't guarantee that with you any other time." he grinned.

She heard her Dad honk the horn on the truck. "I've got to go."

"We'll meet after school?" he asked once more.

"O.K." she conceded. She knew she was taking a chance and part of her knew she may regret it, but there was that part of her that really wanted the friendship that they shared before to be back in her life.

He stopped her with his words, "Oh and Sophia... don't tell anyone we are **just** friends spending time together. It is better to tell them we are having hot sex. I have a reputation to uphold." He grinned his wicked grin.

She huffed and rolled her eyes as she slammed the kitchen door shut. Lucas Cates was impossible, she thought.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia spent the first two periods of school in the counselor's office, trying to work out a class schedule. The school did not know she was returning today so there was a bit of paperwork as well.

When she finally was set with a schedule, she hurried to third period math class. Her old human friend, Jennifer, was there and squealed with delight when she saw that Sophia was back. She motioned Sophia to come sit next to her and marveled over how pretty Sophia looked now with her Italian tan and clothes. The teacher soon silenced them and the class began.

"Welcome back Sophia,"Mr. Raymonds exclaimed. "We hope you were able to keep up with your math in Italy?"

"Yeah. I did." she said shyly. She did not like to be the center of attention. There were only two other skinwalkers in this class. They sat at the back of the class, looking at Sophia and whispering. Sophia heard them clearly. "She looks so different." said one. "She looks so good, you mean." said the other. "You know she's going to have the guys falling all over her." There was envy in their voices.

Sophia had never been the envy of anyone before. She was surprised, but it felt kind of good too.

Jennifer had passed her a note, it said _Meet me at lunch today. We'll catch up on everything!_

Sophia had planned on eating with Sarah and asking her how to control her musk. She didn't want to be at a disadvantage in case Lucas tried something after school. She still didn't quite trust him.

She passed a note back saying _How about tomorrow? I already have plans for today._

Jennifer looked disappointed but she nodded anyway. Sophia felt bad. She really didn't have anything much in common with Jennifer anymore. She needed to learn skinwalker ways, and the only way to do that was to be around other skinwalkers.

Little did Sophia know, but the two skinwalker girls in the back of class were broadcasting mentally to the others at school about Sophia being back, and her appearance. The only one they shielded from these thoughts was Sophia.

Sophia was unprepared for what met her when the bell rang after class.

**-------------------------------------------------------**

**Little cliff hanger here! he he he Let me know how I'm doing. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Skinwalker 101**

Sophia had gathered her belongings when the bell rang. As soon as she left the classroom, the two females came out behind her and grabbed her arms, one on each side. "Sophia, come with us, we have something to show you."

Sophia was startled and thought to pull away, but she was also curious as to what they were talking about.

They hurried Sophia down the next corridor and made a sharp turn into the girl's bathroom. Standing in the doorway was Presley. Sophia saw the rage on Presley's face and she made to struggle, but she was too late, it all happened too quickly.

Presley grabbed Sophia's arm from one of the females and flung her, flying, across the bathroom. Her head smashed hard into a sink and she collapsed onto the floor in a stunned shock.

Presley lifted her by one arm and Sophia could barely register that the whole restroom was filled with female skinwalkers, all looking smug.

"So you think your ready to play with the big kids now, eh?" Presley continued while Sophia hung from her arm, her head swimming with pain and confusion.

"Just so you know where your place in the pack is," Presley growled next to Sophia's ear, "it's at the very bottom!" She shoved Sophia down hard on the cold tiles.

Just then they all jumped back in surprise as the door opened with a loud bang. In the doorway stood Lucas, eyes flashing and an angry snarl on his face. His body seemed to fill the doorway and the females grew frightened at his rage. He slowly gazed from female to female, looking ready to rip one of them apart until he finally looked down on Sophia, lying on the floor barely moving.

The females backed away as far as they could, but Presley stood her ground, an angry look on her face. Lucas looked straight into her eyes and she saw in them a demonstration of his power. Her demeanor changed from defiance to fear and she looked down at the ground in submission.

Lucas then strode over to Sophia and pulled her into his arms. He held her to his chest with one arm and with the other hand he pulled the shoulder of her blouse down, exposing the bite wound he had given her last night.

Slowly he turned in a circle, making sure all the females had seen the bite, he challenged them all with his eyes. Presley's eyes opened wide as she realized what this meant. So that's where he went last night, she thought. She started becoming angry all over again.

The other females looked on in fear and would not dare show Lucas any defiance.

"Just so you all are clear on what this means," he said in a low, menacing voice, "from now on, anyone harming another under my protection, will be shunned."

Presley, and everyone else present, stood shocked. Shunned! That was the worse thing that could happen to a pack member. If you were shunned, then you would be open to all attacks and no one would be allowed to stick up for you.

Then he looked straight at Presley, "Since you did not know that Rilot was performed on Sophia, this offense will be overlooked. But consider yourself now warned." With a last looked at all the females, he left with Sophia in his arms.

As he left the bathroom, the males in the hallway craned their necks to see Sophia, but Lucas had turned her head into his chest and cradled it softly with his hand. He knew now that the news of the protection order would spread fast to the other skinwalkers and he let out a sigh of relief as he approached the nurse's office. Sophia should not have any trouble after this, he thought.

The skinwalker nurse stood and shook her head when she saw Lucas enter with Sophia and lay her on the cot. These kids kept her busy. She knew what had happened without being told. It was natural for a new skinwalker to get picked on a lot until their place was established.

She did not smell blood, but asked, "Where is she hurt?"

"Side of her head. There is a big lump forming." Lucas showed her."She's pretty out of it. Shouldn't she flip?"

"Yah, that would be best." She closed the blinds of the office and locked the door. They both knew Sophia would heal quickly if she changed into her wolf form. Lucas gently stroked her cheek.

"Baby you need to flip." he encouraged her. "Can you hear me Sophia? You'll heal much faster." The nurse started to lift Sophia's top off.

"Help me get this over her head without hitting the lump." she said to Lucas.

Lucas knew this wasn't the time to get excited, but he couldn't help but feel a heat growing in his loins when the nurse lifted her shirt, exposing her creamy smooth stomach and her white lacy bra.

The nurse thought nothing of him being there as all skinwalkers were use to nudity in front of one another. But she didn't know that in Lucas's mind, Sophia was someone he dreamed about. She was someone he had fantasized about touching in all her intimate places.

Sophia's eyes were closed and she moaned with pain.

"She must have got hit pretty hard," the nurse surmised.

But Lucas was beyond speech now. His mouth went dry as the nurse unbuttoned her jeans. His heart started pounding and blood shot to his groin when he saw her peel Sophia's pants down her shapely legs, exposing white lacy panties. He could see a small mound of dark hair just under the white silk and his eyes flashed with intensity.

The nurse snapped her head up and looked at him. "Mr. Cates, this is hardly the right time for that sort thinking! She needs help."

Lucas suddenly felt like a turd. She was right! He looked away and took some deep breaths, trying to get back into control.

"Why don't you go ahead to fourth period. I'll take care of the rest of this." she gave him a disgruntled look. "Here is a late pass." She handed him a slip of paper and shooed him out the door. Lucas heard her lock the door behind him.

Like I'm really going to be able to concentrate on school, he grumbled.

He sat in class, not even registering what was being said. All he could think of was white silk and lace.

-------------------------------------------------------

Lunch was halfway over before Sophia had emerged from the nurse's office to find Sarah sitting by the door waiting for her.

"Thank god your o.k." she jumped up. "Those fucking bitches! Three of them held me back down the hall when they thought I would try to warn you. So are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, just a little headache now. I love the healing advantages I have now! If I were still human, I'd probably be in a coma, or worse."

Sarah handed her the backpack she retrieved from the bathroom. "Here, I brought this for you. You're not going to have much time for lunch though."

They started walking to an area outside, a hilly mound that they used to eat lunch on last year. They sat down and Sophia got a bottle of water out from her backpack.

"I'm not really hungry anyway." she said. "Sarah, what the fuck happened? Was that a personal vendetta against me or what, cause I have no clue how I could have pissed Presley off that much?"

"All newly turned teens get pushed around," Sarah explained. "It's all that frigging status stuff, you know. But I think Presley was overly harsh with you. I think that when she saw how good you looked, she blew a gasket. I heard that when Lucas showed everyone the bite, she just about spit nails. Good thing he did Rilot Sophia, or you would have her pushing you around all the time!"

"He showed everyone?" Sophia did not have much recollection about what happened after her head hit.

"Yeah, he showed them, warned them and took you to the nurse." Sarah lifted one eyebrow and smirked.

"What is that look for?"

"What do you mean, "what is that look for."? You know girlfriend! LUCAS CATES! Mr. Hottie himself, sticking up for you, carrying you to the nurses office! Damn, Sophia, you are so lucky!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Yeah, this has been the luckiest day of my life!" Sophia replied sarcastically.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, o.k. I didn't mean it that way. One thing to feel glad about, though, is that it won't happen again."

Sophia looked away and sighed. She felt a new gratitude towards Lucas for what he had done for her. He was a walking hard-on, but he did seem to have a heart. She finally remembered what she wanted to ask Sarah about.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you about something?"

"What?" Sarah said, taking a bit of her sandwich.

"How do you control your musk around guys?" she blushed a little when asking this.

Sarah looked confused. "What do you mean, control it? Either you want someone or you don't."

"Well, what if you don't want someone." Sophia tried to clarify, although that didn't sound exactly right either.

"Then you won't musk." Sarah looked at Sophia as if Sophia had asked her what was one plus one.

"Wait a minute... are you saying you can't control it. It's automatic?" Sophia felt a panic starting.

"Yeah. If a guy is hot, then your body reacts. If he's not your type, your body doesn't do anything."

"But what if he's hot and you DON'T want to react!" she blurted out.

"Now why the hell would you want to do THAT!" Sarah looked at her like she was crazy. "You make no sense Sophia."

"AAAG!" Sophia was frustrated. "This is just great! How I'm I suppose to stop him if my body is saying the opposite?"

"Him? Sophia, just who are we talking about here?" But Sarah already knew, she could see images of Lucas Cates in Sophia's mind. She smiled wide at her friend. "Never before have I met anyone who would even consider keeping Lucas Cates out of her pants!

"Why? Why should I just give it up to him?" Sophia threw here hands up to emphasize her point.

"Two words" Sarah stared at her. "Multiple orgasms."

"How would you know? Have you slept with him?" Sophia felt a bit of jealousy forming.

"I wish!" Sarah stated. "The powerful males of the pack get the most experience. If one took an interest in me, I'd roll onto my back so fast you'd miss it if you blinked."

Sophia looked at Sarah with wide eyes. "Just what have you been doing while I was in Italy?"

Sarah didn't like how Sophia said that question, as if she were to be judged. "I've been doing what every female skinwalker does, Sophia. I've been enjoying my body." She was feeling a little miffed now. "I think you need to get used to what you are now. Stop thinking like a human, you're never going to be one again."

Sarah stood up and started to pick up her things.

"Sarah? Please don't be angry. I'm sorry for saying stupid things. Your right, I need to get use to things."

Sarah sighed and looked at Sophia, her anger gone. "I'm sorry too. I keep forgetting how differently you were raised. Come on." She held her hand out and pulled Sophia to her feet. "Go ahead and ask me any stupid questions you want, O.K.?" she smiled as they headed back to class.

**Dearest readers, please send me a review and let me know what you think. I love feedback! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear Readers, I've been thinking of how I have ignored the Kanin/Ruby/Tyler characters thus far and I can only say that I've been having too much fun with Lucas and Sophia. Truth is I'm not a big Lou Diamond Phillips fan, though I did enjoy his characters in Young Guns and La Bamba. During Wolf Lake I always thought he should butt out and leave the skinwalkers be. LOL I guess I thought Wolf Lake was a pretty unique place and didn't want the exposure that a nosey police office might give. And I always thought Tyler was good looking and that him and Ruby would have made a good pair. Sorry if you don't agree with this viewpoint! LOL I would just rather see bad boys get together with good girls and see what happens. Good boy plus good girl BORING. Well, on the screen anyway. I do like what some of you have done with them in your fictions, however. Turning Kanin into a skinwalker was very clever. I may still use these characters in the future, but only in conjunction with the plot of Lucas and Sophia. Enjoy!**

**And thank you to my reviewers! Wolf Lake fans are the best!**

**Chapter 7 - Control**

If you were skinwalker, at Wolf Lake High, the last two periods of the day were P.E. and Wolven Cultural Studies (known to the human's as History). The skinwalkers in the teaching administration had decided long ago that skinwalkers and humans should not be put in the same physical education classes together as the skill levels between the two species were too noticeable. So for Sophia her last two classes were predetermined. She happened to have P.E. scheduled first, after lunch, but she would not be going today. The nurse had written a medical excuse and she was to spend that time in the library. She was relieved about this as she did not want to face more skinwalkers after the events of the morning.

As she walked into the library, she thought about how she could get an early start on her math homework. Looking around for a table to sit at, her eyes fell upon someone she had almost forgot about. Scott! She felt like backing out of the library and finding another place to do homework but it was too late. Scott had looked up from his book and saw her, surprise on his face.

O.K. I'm just going to have to go over there and say hello, she thought. I've got to stop being such a chicken shit.

She felt bad about the last time they were together. Lucas had made a mess of their date and Sophia had a very unladylike response. She wondered what he had thought of her strong-armed toss.

She bravely walked over to his table and smiled, "Hi Scott."

"Wow, you're back! That's good! Here sit down.," he smiled back and indicated the seat next to him.

She sat down and got her math book out so the librarian would think she was busy. "Yeah, just got back yesterday."

"And you came back to school right away! You're so dedicated," he said cheerfully.

"Not really!" she rolled her eyes.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked. Scott had always wondered about that night last summer and why she had run away. He figured that he had gotten in the middle of some kind of secret lover's quarrel between her and Cates. At the time, he had no idea that Sophia had been dating someone, and especially not Lucas.

Truth was Scott never did see Sophia throw Lucas onto his car. He was too busy with his own pain and confusion. But Sophia did not know that. She had always been embarrassed when she thought of how Scott probably thought she was some kind of freak when it happened.

"I had a great time. How have you been?" she ventured.

"Oh... just the same." he let out a small laugh. "Nothing much changes around here."

They were running out of small talk. Sophia had the need to clear the air. She breathed in and began, "Scott, I didn't get the chance to apologize to you before I left for Italy about that night."

Scott wasn't sure he wanted to hear this. He did feel a little used in some sort of jealousy game.

"So I'm sorry," she went on. "I was really upset about Lucas being such an ass. I don't know why he did that to you. I hope you were o.k."

"It's o.k." he said awkwardly. "There was no lasting damage," he gave a small smile.

There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. "I did wish that you had told me that you were dating someone else."

Now Sophia looked surprised. "Dating? Oh no, Scott. Lucas and I are only friends." She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe her. "He's just an overprotective friend," she tried to reason.

"O.k., whatever you say," he shook his head. "Doesn't really matter anyway. It was a while ago."

"Yeah, it was." she sighed. She began to examine her math problems and head her paper.

So much has happened since last summer, she thought. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Scott looked at his book without reading it. Sophia looked so beautiful now and more, he couldn't think of the right word, sophisticated seemed like the right one. After all this time, he found that he still liked being with her. The minutes on the clock were ticking away and he knew that this time of sitting in semi-privacy would soon end. An idea was forming in his mind and he was building the courage to speak it.

One minute left before the bell rang, and he finally spoke. "Sophia?"

She looked up from her homework.

"Are you going to the prom with anyone?" There! The words were out!

She was truly caught off guard. Was he really asking her out after what happened last time?

"Um... well... to tell you the truth, this is the first I've heard of it. I really haven't been home long enough to catch up on all the upcoming events," she answered truthfully. Why hadn't Sarah mentioned it to her? "When is it?"

"Next month." he felt a little hopeful now. He had already heard that Cates was taking that Presley girl, so he felt that whatever Sophia and Lucas had together must have ended.

"If you want to go, I'd like to take you."

Sophia did not feel any interest towards Scott or even towards the prom. She felt she had too much going on in her life as it was.

"Would you be mad if I said that I would let you know soon. I just haven't even had time to unpack yet, let alone plan for prom night." Sophia felt that she could not just turn him down straight. It felt as though she owed him a make up date for the one that went bad. She needed more time to think about this.

"I understand," he said as he gathered his belongings. The bell had rung and he wanted to get away from this uncomfortable conversation.

Sophia put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Really Scott. I'm not trying to brush you off or anything. I'm just a bit overwhelmed today." And wasn't that the truth. "I really will let you know in a few days, O.K.?"

"O.K., see you soon," he left the library in a hurry. Sophia felt like she had no time to worry about Scott's feelings because now she was aware that her next class would be a class filled with skinwalkers. She took a deep breath and said to herself, "Be brave Sophia. Just get it over with. Sarah will be there. You'll be fine."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia rounded the final corner of the corridor and had slowed to a near stop. On all sides of her were skinwalker males, gathered in small groups. As she came into view they all grew silent and their heads turned in her direction, scanning her from head to foot.

She wanted to turn right back around and run but she breathed in and told herself to just walk right by and go into the classroom. She tried to focus on the classroom door but the males were pulling her attention in so many directions and in so many ways. They moved their bodies in her pathway as she tried to walk. She would try to maneuver her way around them but they would hold out their hands and arms, gently grasping her by the arm or the waist, whispering to her things like, "Welcome Sophia. I'm glad you are back. You look so beautiful. You smell so good." She felt their hands caress her as she passed them, stroking her back, her hair, her stomach, and her rear.

Sophia's heart was beating quickly and she began to feel smothered, as if they would never let her pass. She was at the point of panic when suddenly the males stopped touching her and backed away, all heads turned toward the classroom. It was then that she noticed Lucas standing there just inside. She knew right away that Lucas must have told them to stop on his mental pathway. She gave him a look of gratitude.

He held out his hand to her and she took it gratefully. When she stepped near, he bent and whispered in her ear, "Your just too hot for them to resist." He was smiling and she smiled back. He made her feel safe, and that was exactly what she needed at this time.

He led her to a seat next to Sarah and then took a seat behind hers.

Sophia looked around the room as the males came in to sit down, still looking at her with interest. The females were more subdued due to the morning's events. Sophia saw Presley sitting near the front with her friends and she totally ignored Sophia. But Sophia could sense a tension in her and she was sure that Presley was talking about her with her friends on their mental pathways. Oh well, I don't really care, she thought, as long as she leaves me alone.

Presley was tense and still angry. She was angry that Lucas performed Rilot on Sophia last night. It was the first time Lucas had ever performed it, and it was with Sophia! Even his father had only performed it twice in his lifetime. She was also angry at how good Sophia looked now and how all the boys were drooling over her. And worst of all, she wouldn't be able to put the little bitch in her place! Well, if Lucas wanted another play toy for awhile, then let him, she thought. In the end, he'll mate with me, because I'm the strongest female. That's just the way it is, she consoled herself.

Sophia looked over at Sarah as Sherman Blackstone, their teacher, tried to silence them all down. Sarah sent Sophia a mental message, _Uh huh, Lucas to the rescue again. _She smiled an I Told You So smile. Sophia smiled back and shook her head slightly.

Mr. Blackstone was aware of all the day's events and he was also aware of the event that took place last night. It was his job to keep track of these matters and he had decided that Rilot would be the topic of the day. But first a little welcome was in order.

"First of all, I'd like to say a big welcome to Sophia Donner!" The males clapped and cheered. "And we are very happy that you are back in town."

Sophia just smiled at him. She didn't know what to say except a shy "Thanks."

She thought of how ironic it was that these males never even acknowledged her existence before she went to Florence.

_Maybe they did not. But I knew you were there Sophia. I've always noticed you._

Sophia heard Lucas's voice in her head and threw him a quick look over her shoulder. Then she concentrated hard on just Lucas and said back:

_Get out of my head!_

She heard soft male laughter in her head.

_Sure baby._

I am really going to drill him today about how to keep my thoughts private!

Mr. Blackstone knew this day was an uncomfortable one for Sophia, so he didn't want to put the focus on her. Instead he started talking about the ancient traditions associated with new pack members, including Rilot.

Sophia tried to listen, but she felt distracted at the energy she felt being sent to her. Her body was growing warm. She gazed around the room to find many of the males focused on her and when she noticed them, they looked at her with bedroom eyes and sexy smiles.

Finally the bell rang and Sarah looked over at Sophia. "Want to come over my house for awhile?"

Sophia shyly replied, "Well... I'm meeting with Lucas... for awhile."

Sarah's eyes opened wide and her mouth formed an O. "Call me later, O.K.?" She smiled at Sophia and Sophia knew what she was thinking. But it was no use telling her otherwise, at least at the moment, as Lucas leaned behind her and said, "Ready?"

Before she could answer, Mr. Blackstone said, "Lucas, can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Hold on, I'll be right back." Lucas told her as he made his way to the front of the room.

Sophia was busy gathering up her notes and putting them away, she did not notice that Randy and Sean were posturing a short distance around her, warding off the other males that wanted to approach her. The other males soon capitulated to the dominant males and left the room. To an observer, this looked like a silent showdown. Sophia however was not looking and she picked up her backpack and went to the back of the room to wait for Lucas.

Sophia was leaning against a countertop that ran along the back wall, watching Lucas and Sherman Blackstone talk. Lucas looked so good and she began to anticipate what was going to happen next. Maybe Sarah was right and she should just enjoy herself with Lucas. But her mind was filled with dreadful thoughts of how inexperienced she was and how she might not be able to please someone like him. What if he thought I was a terrible lover and never wanted to be with me again?

These negative thoughts were going through her mind when she suddenly became aware of Sean and Randy closing in on her from both sides. She looked from one to the other as they slowly walked to her sides.

"Hi Sophia." Sean started, as he placed one arm on the counter behind her and started making slow circles with his fingers on her back, twisting her hair gently.

Randy had pressed up against her other side and his hand went over her stomach, caressing her lightly, running his finger along the top of her jeans. "You look so hot," he whispered.

Both of them had now hemmed her in on both sides and now Sean had his other hand on her thigh. On both sides of her neck she felt them nuzzle her and kiss her. Sophia felt overwhelmed. It wasn't just their touching her, but also the power they were sending into her. It was making her dizzy and a drunken feeling came over her. What they were doing to her was so hypnotic and pleasurable, she felt like putty in their skilled hands.

"Would you like us to make you feel real good Sophia?" whispered Randy, flicking his tongue out at her earlobe.

Sean then whispered in her other ear, "You can have us both Sophia."

Erotic images flew into her mind and Sophia felt like she couldn't stand up anymore.

Sherman Blackstone finally broke his conversation with Lucas, who had his back turned towards Sophia. Sherman, however, could see everything. "Hey, take that into the forest, you three." Lucas's head then whipped around and saw what was happening. He didn't blame his friends. Hell, he wanted to be doing the same thing. But Sophia's time was his today and he didn't want to share.

He walked over and took Sophia by the hand, pulling her from between his two friends. They looked at Lucas angrily, but they would not act on that anger. Lucas knew that if he weren't the Alpha male, those two would have ripped a hole in him for taking a female in musk away.

He put an arm around a very confused Sophia and said, "Sophia and I have plans right now." He left his friends standing there, staring after him.

"I just bet they do!" Randy fumed.

Sean replied, "A bit possessive, wasn't he? Never seen him like that about a female before."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Lucas led Sophia out into the fresh air, she came to her senses and stepped out of his reach.

"Sophia?" Lucas questioned.

She didn't answer but walked over to a low brick planter box and sat down on the edge of it. Lucas followed and stood in front of her. Tears started to roll down her cheeks and Lucas sat down beside her. "It's just that way between males and females Sophia," he said in a gentle voice.

"It was like... it was like... I didn't have control. They could have made me do anything they wanted!" she sobbed.

"They are dominant males, Sophia. Not all the males can have that kind of power over you. They also combined their energies. You didn't stand a chance."

"But it's so wrong!" she started to grow angry. "It's like rape or something. Taking me against my will!"

He knew she would see it this way. He tried to think of how he could explain the difference to her.

"Sophia, you were musking." She turned red and looked away as he continued. "That means your body wanted it."

"They forced me to musk! They put some sort of spell on me!" she snapped.

If she weren't so upset, he would have laughed. "You can't force someone to musk. Sophia you're a skinwalker. Instinct takes over our minds. It's a female's instinct to mate with males, and powerful males most of all, in order to assure a high place in the pack. It's not a choice you make with your mind. Your body recognizes power and is drawn to the strongest males."

She stared at him while she mulled this over in her mind. Then she said, "What about the male's instinct?"

He smiled and said, "Well, it's a male's instinct to mate, period."

She sighed and said, "That's what I thought."

Lucas did laugh then, which drew a small smile from her. She is so adorable, he thought. I could sit here with her forever.

Sophia looked at him and said, "Lucas, I want to thank you for everything. I know I was a bit mad this morning about last night and ..."

"A bit?" he smiled.

"O.K. I was pretty upset. You scared me with all that power stuff," she clarified. "But I know now, especially after what the females did, that it was a good thing you did. And also I wanted to thank you for taking me to the nurse and for helping me get through Blackstone's class, and for pulling me away from Sean and Randy." She let out a long breath and smiled. "Wow, that's just about the whole day!"

Her words made him feel good. But he always felt good when he was with her. He was so glad she was back from Florence he could lead a run. "Not all my intentions are pure, Sophia," he grinned at her.

"You promised to be good," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I did," he sulked. What a stupid thing to promise, he told himself. "Well, we better go to a public place if you expect me to keep that promise."

"How about the diner? I'm starving. Didn't really have time for lunch today," she suggested.

"Yeah, all right. That probably would be a good place to practice blocking and sending. Lot's of people to practice on."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: I know I'm spending a lot of chapters on one day, but this is an important day for Sophia!**

**Please let me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you and treasure your opinions. Thanks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Playing with Fire**

True to his word, Lucas began teaching Sophia the mental strategies she lacked. They sat in the diner, practicing on each other and on unsuspecting diner patrons. They laughed at some of the thoughts they pulled from various people and Sophia had fun trying to read Lucas's thoughts, though they were usually very naughty. She knew he did this on purpose. He seemed to enjoy making her blush. Most importantly, she practiced blocking her thoughts from him as he would try to guess what she was thinking. This proved very difficult, as Lucas was very good at mind reading. In fact, he seemed really skilled in all areas and Sophia found herself amazed at all he could do.

"My father started teaching me a lot when I was little. I've had lots of practice," he explained. Thinking about his father made him suddenly quiet.

"You must miss him a lot," she ventured.

Lucas looked at her, thinking how she had comforted him when his father died. He was always grateful for her concern and for understanding his need to mourn. The others always expected him to be strong about everything. Sophia seemed to be the only one who let him be real about his feelings. She was still human when it happened and even then her comfort drew him closer to her. Now she sat across from him, a skinwalker female, still warm hearted and caring.

_Yeah, I do. Especially when I feel like I need advice from him. It's hard not having him around to ask about all the stuff that comes up. There's mom, but it's not the same thing._

He projected these words to her on a private mental path and Sophia understood why. Lucas could not show any weakness in public. Admitting you need help sometimes was not what people wanted to see in an Alpha. She was flattered that he trusted her so much and could be open with her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas drove her home after a few hours when she said she had to get home. She wanted to make some new dish for dinner that she learned in Italy. Soon they pulled up in front of her house. "Are you coming to the rave tonight?" Lucas asked. "I can come back later and pick you up if you want."

Sophia thought about it. "Are Randy and Sean going to be there?"

"Chicken shit!" he laughed. "You can't hide from everyone Sophia."

"I'm not chicken! I just don't want that kind of pressure." she smiled back.

"Then you'll just have to hide under me," he teased with a grin.

"YEAH RIGHT!" she rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. "There won't be any pressure there!"

Lucas shook his head and tried to look innocent. Finally he said, "Well, I guess if you're not ready, then you're not ready."

"I've been to those raves before, you know," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but you were human then. And you never stayed long enough to see what really happens."

Sophia got out of the car, but leaned her head into the window. "Gee, let me think what that could be?" and she put on a dumb look.

Lucas smiled at her. "Anytime you want to know, I could show you." His eyes flashed and Sophia felt a wave of warm energy hit her. It felt good and she stood up and stepped back away from the car. She knew she needed to stop this flirting or she would never get dinner done. She really wanted to surprise her dad tonight.

"Bye Sophia," Lucas called after her. "Hope you change your mind." He torn off down the street, way too fast.

Sophia stood on her porch looking at him turn the corner. He's absolutely right, she thought. I'm the biggest chicken shit in the world.

She rushed into the house and ran upstairs. She wanted to shower and start dinner before her dad got home. It was true that she did not want to run into Randy and Sean in a dark forest, but mostly she felt like spending the evening with her dad. They had not had that much time together since she arrived yesterday.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Matt thoroughly enjoyed Sophia's dinner and was very pleased that she chose to spend the evening home with him. "Hey, after the meal settles a bit, do you want to go for a run?" he asked.

"Sure dad, that sounds great! I didn't get to run at all in Italy. I was really looking forward to it all this time," she replied.

"Great!" he said enthusiastically. He really found he enjoyed running as well, now that he returned to his old ways.

They got to discussing Sophia's first day back at school and Sophia filled him in on everything, except the part about Randy and Sean. Matt did not seem surprised about what the females did. He told Sophia that he had already found out from the nurse, who called him shortly after it happened. He knew that something like this might happen.

Matt was surprised at how Lucas seemed to stick up for her all day and he also thought the after school lessons were a very unselfish act. He reflected on the fact that perhaps Lucas Cates was finally growing up and taking more responsibility.

After awhile the phone rang and Sophia went to answer it. Sarah's voice came on the line.

"Hey, you didn't call me!" Sarah began.

"Sorry, I had to make dinner and I forgot." Sophia apologized.

"Well... how did it go? I want all the details!"

"Nothing like that happened. We went to the diner and ate and talked." Sophia did not want Sarah to know about the lessons. She already felt lame in many skinwalker areas as it was.

"Yeah, right, come on. You can tell me Sophia. I won't tell anyone, you know that."

"I am telling you! Nothing happened!"

"Not even a kiss?"

"Nope. He was a perfect gentleman."

"I don't think we are talking about the same person." Sarah laughed. "Anyways, keep your secrets. Are you coming tonight?"

"No, I'm going to spend time with my dad. He really misses me."

"All right." Sarah sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Wait! Sarah, you didn't mention that the prom was next month!"

"I didn't think about it," Sarah said. She was silent for a few seconds. Then she asked cautiously, "Sophia? Lucas spoke about the prom with you?"

"Why are you saying it that way? And no, he didn't. I heard from someone else."

"Well... you know he's going with Presley, don't you?" Sarah said carefully.

Sophia felt her heart drop to her stomach. She said softly, "No, I didn't know that."

Sarah could sense that Sophia was upset and disappointed and she hated being the bearer of bad news. Then a thought hit her.

"Sophia, Presley asked him about a month ago, before anyone even knew you were going to be back."

That caught Sophia's attention. "Presley asked him? Not the other way around?"

"Yeah, I was there when she did. I mean I was nearby, not actually standing there. But I heard everything. She said to him, "So we are going the to prom right?" and then Lucas said, "Yeah, sure". I don't think he was that excited about it."

Sophia felt a little better, but not much. "Thanks Sarah. I'll see you tomorrow."

"O.K. Sophia. Have fun with your dad. Bye."

Sophia sat back on the sofa, thinking about Presley's smug face and how she'll be in all her glory with Lucas to hang on to. I don't want to look like a loser by staying home or going stag, she thought. Well, I guess I do have another option.

She picked up the phone and dialed Scott's number. Scott was happy and surprised when Sophia told him that she would like to go to the prom with him. When Sophia hung up the phone, she felt anything but happy.

------------------------------------------------------

The next day at school seemed uneventful compared to the previous day. The females, except for Sarah and a few others, seemed to ignore her for the most part. No thanks due to Presley, Sophia thought. As for the males, Sophia had learned that her best defense was not to linger in any one spot too long where males were gathered. She found herself rushing to her classes and leaving them right as the bell rang. Luckily in P.E. class, she found that the males and females were separated.

Lucas had noticed her strategy of rushing around and was amused at how quickly she was learning. After their last class, Lucas slipped his arm around her as they made ready to leave. Sophia looked up at him. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

_Staking my claim before the others try anything._

He sent this thought to her and she looked around at the males looking at her. She projected back to him.

_Fine! Just don't expect to collect on that claim!_

She heard laughter in her mind. _I know baby. I know._

She was actually still angry about the prom situation. How could he be spending all this time with her and then take Presley to the prom? They made it outside but Lucas made no move to remove his arm from around her. Sophia finally wiggled it away.

_We wouldn't want your prom date to get upset!_

She shot at him. She also thought about how Scott might see them like that.

He stopped walking and stood there looking at her. Sophia stopped too and turned around to face him, and angry look on her face. He felt taken aback. Was she actually jealous? He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the car. "Come on, we can talk in the car." He did not like how angry she looked, and the last thing he wanted was a public scene.

By the time Sophia got into the car, she felt like an idiot. Why did she say that to him? Now he would think she was hoping for more than friendship. She just made a big ass of herself, she thought. He's totally going to tell me that I'm way out of line and that I should mind my own business.

But Lucas didn't say anything for awhile, as he started to drive. He didn't know what to think. He was use to Presley getting possessive on him, and he always hated it. But somehow a possessive Sophia didn't bother him at all. In fact, he kind of liked it. This fact alone shocked him and made him quiet.

Sophia finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry Lucas. I don't know why I said that."

He looked over at her and knew that she was just covering up now.

"Sophia... it's just a dance. It really isn't a big deal to me. It really was Presley's idea to go."

Sophia already knew this was true, but she still felt bothered by it. She said anyway, "I understand. It's no big deal."

He couldn't stand this. He pulled over and stopped the car and turned to face her. "You want to know something Sophia?"

"What?"

"If I had known you'd have been back for the prom, I would have waited for you."

"You would?" she swallowed. Her heart started beating faster and the air felt warm.

"Yeah, I would have. I like being with you Sophia. I would rather be with you. But now that I said I would go with her, I can't go back on my word. What kind of leader would I make if I don't follow through with what I say I'm going to do? I don't have the luxury of breaking promises like others do. It would weaken me in other people's eyes."

Sophia looked down and sighed. She felt like a big whiny baby, but she also felt an excitement inside. He would rather be with her! She felt like jumping for joy. Huh, take THAT Presley!

He reached over and put his arm on the top of Sophia's backrest, curling a finger through her hair. When she looked back up at him she noticed his eyes were slowly traveling up her body and they stopped at her lips. Oh god, he's going to kiss me, she thought. Her heart kept racing and she gazed down to his lips. Together their heads slowly moved towards each other.

When they were but an inch apart, Lucas whispered, "Sophia...I really..." he kissed her softly, "really..." he kissed her softly again, "like you..." another soft kiss, "a lot." He pressed his lips harder this time and pulled her head more firmly to his. Sophia was totally caught up in the magic of the moment and opened her lips, welcoming his skilled tongue. She moaned and put her arms around his neck, running her hands through his hair as she returned his kiss. Never before had she been kissed like this. The kiss seemed to go on forever and neither of them wanted to pull away, feeling like they could never get enough.

She felt his other hand come up gently against her cheek, stroking it softly. She felt as though she was floating on a cloud of pleasure as he continued his mind numbing kiss. His fingers on her cheek slowly began to trail down her neck and on to her shoulder creating tingles of electricity in her body as the kiss further drugged her mind.

Then she felt a jolt when one of his fingers brushed softly against the side of her breast. The sensation sent a liquid heat low in her belly and she broke off the kiss, looking at him with glowing eyes. Lucas looked back at her, his own intensity flashing gold and he let out a gruff growl, "Sophia?"

She knew he was giving her a choice, before it was too late. Sophia's mind reeled! Oh god! I just can't! I just can't, she agonized to herself. She turned her body forward in the seat and put her face into her hands.

_I'm so sorry, Lucas. I just can't. Not yet._

Lucas sat back in his seat and took a deep breath. He opened the window to let the cool air outside help return him to his normal senses. He was so damed confused himself. Hell yes he wanted her! He wanted to pleasure her for the rest of the day and all through the night too. But he wanted her to want it too. He wanted her to have some control, some choice. Because he knew that was important to her.

But that kiss! It was heaven kissing Sophia, he thought. I would trade all the nights I've had with Presley for another kiss like that from Sophia. He leaned his head back and smiled. Finally he looked over at her, she was still upset, looking away out the window.

"Sophia?" he said, much calmer now. "It's all right. Really. I'm not going to push you baby."

She risked a glance and him and found him smiling at her. "You're not upset?"

"After a kiss like that? There's no way I'd be upset." He kept grinning at her and she couldn't help but grin back. "In fact, I'm feeling pretty damn good! You ready?"

Her smile faded, "For what?"

"For our lessons? We can go to the diner again. I could use a drink."

She had forgotten all about the lessons. The kiss had really blown her brains out the back door!

"Yeah, o.k." she stammered. She had little hope for her concentration level this afternoon.

---------------------------------------------------------

**Hi Everyone! Please send me a review and let me know how you like it so far. I know the system was down for a few days and none of us could do anything but read. So if your reading this now, please send me a note.**

**Thanks!! **

On another note: Someone had a the whole season one on video for sale on ebay last week! I missed out on this, but I checked it out anyway. It looks to be professionally done, not some home taped product. I really want to know who is producing these. If any of you know this, please pass on the info. TYVM


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for the positive responses I am getting! Some of you want to know what color Sophia's pelt will be. I decided early on that I was going to take a bit of a different approach to the whole white wolf issue. Ruby will be the only white wolf in this story as they are rare. The significance of the white wolf will be slightly different here as well, as you will read in later chapters. I wanted Sophia to be on a somewhat level playing field with the other females and let her natural qualities stand on their own.**

**As to Presley getting what she deserves... well, you'll have to wait and see!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: Rivals**

On the way to diner Lucas was feeling very excited. He could not believe that Sophia had kissed him! He didn't even have to use any of his attraction energy on her. He now knew how passionate she can be and he was thrilled that she wanted him. He also knew, however, that he would have to take it slow with her. He wasn't use to waiting. There were always plenty of willing females around him.

Sophia was sitting and thinking as well. She was surprised at how easily she kissed him back and how much her body wanted him. What's wrong with me? Why can't I just relax and enjoy myself? She found that she was angry with herself for not acting like a normal skinwalker. She could now admit to herself that she really liked Lucas a lot, but there were other things to consider. He did say that he liked her a lot but what exactly does that mean? Does he want to be my boyfriend? Does he just want to sleep with me? She wasn't sure she could be so casual when it came to Lucas. She felt that it would hurt a lot if she slept with him and then found out that he slept with someone else the next night.

When they walked into the diner, Lucas stiffened and slowed down. Sophia looked at his face and saw him looking towards the pool tables in the back, so she followed his gaze.

Tyler Creed and his two buddies were playing pool and drinking.

"Just ignore him," encouraged Sophia. She led him to a booth and they both sat down across from each other. Lucas was still watching Tyler.

"Lucas? Do you want to go somewhere else?" she asked.

_I'm not going to let him run me out of the diner._

_I just meant that he seems to be distracting you._

He looked back at Sophia. _Sorry baby. Maybe this isn't a good time to practice. Let's just get some drinks or something._

_That's fine. What's been happening with Ruby while I've been gone? If it's o.k. to ask, that is?_

They kept projecting on their private mental path so that Tyler would not hear.

_Tyler's been getting more anxious about getting rid of Kanin. He's always bugging my mom about it. He says that if she doesn't think of a way to get him out of town, then he will kill him. He says he's tired of having to hide Ruby away and that he wants to be able to live in town with her._

_He just can't kill him! It would bring more police here to investigate!_

_Exactly. And Ruby would never forgive him._

_What will your mom do?_

_She says she's working on something. She won't say yet. I can tell that she is getting pretty worried herself about Kanin knowing too much. To tell you the truth, even though I don't like Tyler, I do want Ruby to be able to live in town again. I really miss her._

_Do you ever get to see her?_

_Yeah, Sunday nights we meet on the pier, as wolves of course. Tyler never lets her out unless she's in her wolf._

_Well, at least he lets her meet with you._

_I'll give him one thing. He does seem to love her. He tries to do things to make her happy. _

_I'll be right back._

Sophia got up to go to the restroom. As she passed Tyler and his friends they stood up straight and followed her with their eyes, smelling for her scent. "Yummy and sweet," she heard one of them say. Sophia hurried her pace a little quicker.

Tyler now sauntered over to where Lucas was sitting. "Very good taste Cates. Sophia Donner! Who'd have ever guessed!"

Lucas said nothing but just glared at Tyler as he sat down in Sophia's place and lit a cigarette. "I tell you bro, she's really blossomed!" Tyler continued.

"I'm not your bro," Lucas growled.

"Whoa... why all the hostility? I'm married to your sister, so that makes me your brother." Tyler replied casually.

"Posturing for position are you?" Lucas challenged.

Tyler smiled and wagged his head. "You know I can rip your ass up if I wanted to."

"Then let's do it!" Lucas growled standing up from his seat.

"Settle down pup!" Tyler laughed, not even getting up. "If you don't know why I haven't tried anything with you, then your pretty dim."

"You're just afraid you'll lose." Lucas baited.

Now Tyler stood up, starting to get angry. Sophia came out of the bathroom and saw them. She decided to stay out the way and watched from a distance. Other skinwalkers in the diner were also looking now.

Lucas and Tyler locked eyes. They took their conversation private.

Tyler began.

_Listen to me Cates. The only thing stopping me from getting rid of you is Ruby. I don't want to be Alpha if it means losing her._

Lucas just stared. It was hard for him to believe that Tyler would give up his ambitions. Could he really love Ruby that much?

_Why should I believe that? You killed her best friend? You killed Lloyd._

_You already know why that happened. And I have been paying dearly for it, haven't I?_

_That's between you and Ruby._

_Yeah, it is. _Tyler glanced over at Sophia. _Maybe you'll find out how love can make you do crazy things._

Tyler walked back to the pool table and his waiting buddies. Sophia waited until Tyler was there before she went back to Lucas. He waited until she sat down before he seated himself again. "You all right?" she ventured.

"Yeah, fine," Lucas said. But he did not look like things were fine.

"Let's just go, O.K.? I really don't want to stay here," Sophia pleaded.

Tyler's presence had really put a downer on the afternoon.

They were about to get up and leave when Sherman Blackstone came in and strode over to their table. "Hello you two. Having fun?"

Lucas took a quick glance in Tyler's direction and said, "Not really."

Sherman looked at Tyler and sighed. "Well I'm afraid I'm just going to have to dampen your day a little more."

Lucas became alert. "What is it?"

Sherman sat down next to Sophia and signaled the waitress. He seemed in no hurry to answer. Lucas and Sophia looked at him anxiously.

"Mr. Blackstone, is someone hurt or something?" Sophia asked.

He placed an order with the waitress then looked over at Lucas. "It seems the Silver Lake wolves have been encroaching on our territory lately. Three of them were spotted coming as far in as the north woods clearing."

"What do you think they want?" Lucas questioned.

"Well that's what I was hoping you could find out," he replied.

"I'll take some others and check it out tonight," Lucas decided.

"Just be careful," Sherman warned, "Silver Lake wolves live by different laws."

"I know. But I know they should respect territories. That was agreed upon long ago." Lucas stated.

Sophia did not know very much about Silver Lake wolves. She knew they were a separate pack and that at times there had been conflicts. But there had not been a conflict in a long time, not in her lifetime. The last time there were pack wars, was when Willard first became Alpha and married one of the Silver Lake females. This female became Ruby's natural mother. But that conflict was laid to rest long ago and a peace agreement was made. What could they possible want now?

Sophia had also heard that the Silver Lake skinwalkers lived much more sheltered lives. They had a settlement, but they kept away from the modern world as much as possible and did not allow humans to live amongst them. They did not agree with the way Wolf Lake skinwalkers allowed humans to coexist in the their town, schools, and businesses. Their children did not go to a school and were taught only by the shamans and their parents.

"Come on Sophia, I'll take you home," Lucas said as he stood up to leave.

When they got in the car Lucas said, "Sorry we didn't get a chance to practice today. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I understand. I hope everything goes smoothly tonight," she worried.

He glanced at her expression. Then he smiled at her to ease the tension. "Don't worry Sophia. Sherman couldn't ask my mother to do it. Silver Lake wolves wouldn't accept a female Alpha. We are just going to find out what they want."

"Why don't they just come into town and talk?" Sophia questioned.

"Because they don't like towns. They are more back-to-nature than we are. And they don't like risking being outnumbered."

When they reached her house, he stopped the car and got out with her. He walked her to her front door.

"You didn't have to walk me to the door you know. You didn't do that yesterday." Sophia smiled at him.

"We didn't do this yesterday either," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his body turning his head slightly to the side.

Sophia was surprised how quickly he moved, she did not have time to protest. But she found that she did not want to protest. It felt so good to be in his arms. She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck and brought her lips up to his.

The kiss started slow and sweet but soon deepened as they both felt the pleasure of their standing bodies pressed so tightly against each other. Lucas's hands explored her back and Sophia's fingers ran through his hair as they both pressed intimately together.

Then the garage door of the neighbor's house opened across the street and Sophia pulled away. She did not feel comfortable making out in front of old Mrs. Banley. Lucas still held on to her hands and smiled at her embarrassment. She smiled and laughed back.

Then she slipped into the house and stood behind the screen door.

"I think you've had enough kissing for one day," she teased.

"There is no such thing as enough kissing, Sophia," he grinned at her through the screen. He kissed his hand and blew it at her as he turned to leave.

She stood in the doorway and watched him drive away. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss and she reached up to touch them. A big smile formed on her face as she turned to go up stairs yelling "Yes!" to an empty house.

--------------------------------------------------------------

**Well, there it is! Please let me know how I'm doing! Your comments keep me typing! **

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: This chapter is not for the faint hearted. Contains some blood consumption. If your offended, skip it.**

**This chapter is also a bit long as I could not seem to stop typing! LOL So grab your favorite beverage and enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: The Other Ones**

Sherman Blackstone was enjoying a quiet evening at home when a loud knocking sounded on his cabin door.

"Come in," he casually replied. He already knew who it was as he had heard the Alpha's car coming up the road.

Vivian Cates entered, anger twisting her face. "How dare you send Lucas off to meet with Silver Lake wolves! Who knows what will happen to him! He's only seventeen!" Her eyes sparkled gold in anger.

Sherman was not affected. He maintained perfect calm. "He is ready for this."

"And you have just decided this! Without consulting me?" she growled out.

"Vivian," he began, trying to restore calm, "you have felt and seen how powerful Lucas has been getting lately. You can't expect him to develop leadership skills if you shelter and coddle him."

"Coddle him? How dare you say such things to me!" she hissed.

"It's only natural. You are his mother and all mothers want to protect their young. But it's time for him to take a more active role in pack politics. I've seen what he's capable of, Vivian. You should be very proud of him."

Vivian's anger lessened at this compliment. She was very proud of Lucas, but she worried none-the-less.

Sherman continued, "He also took a strong group of males with him. This is necessary Vivian. He is the future of this pack and the Silver Lake wolves need to see his strength."

Vivian glared at him and sighed, shaking her finger at Sherman. "You better be right about this." She turned and stalked angrily out, slamming the door behind her.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas and seven other dominant males raced through the north woods in their wolf forms, sniffing and sensing for any intruders into their territory. These teens were all in top shape and strength, they were Lucas's teammates for baseball this season as well. When Lucas told them to come along, they all jumped at the chance to prove themselves to their leader and the pack. This was the first time they were asked to do something important for their pack and they wanted to make a strong showing. They wanted the chance to show the adults that they were ready.

After about forty minutes of sniffing around, they met back at the north clearing. No one had found any Silver Lake wolf signs and they were considering what to do next.

_Let's hang out here for a while and see what happens._

Lucas gave the order and they all sat or lay on the ground and waited.

Each of them faced in different directions and scanned the forest with their senses. They were careful not to make noise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia and Sarah sat on top of a picnic table at the lakeside rave site. A fire had been lit in the fire pit and the teens warmed themselves on this cool spring night. Skinwalkers were rarely bothered by cold, but they just loved the feel of heat on their skin. They often would stand close to any heat source they could find and enjoy the sensation.

Tonight the mood was somber as they waited to find out what was happening with the Silver Lake wolf situation. The dominant males were all absent and the only males left were the ones in which Lucas had not chosen to come with him. Most of the females were there as they were worried about the males and wanted to be the first to hear when they returned.

For this reason Sophia decided to come tonight. Sarah had called her about half an hour ago and asked her to come. Sophia had just finished her homework and she really wanted to make sure Lucas was o.k. She told her father about what she heard and told him that she wanted to be there tonight.

Matt knew about the situation already. Vivian had come into the station after her visit to Sherman's cabin. She needed to let off steam and he had listened patiently. He wondered why Sherman did not ask him to go, but he supposed the keeper had his reasons. He let Sophia go on the condition that she stay at the rave site and not try to go into the north woods.

Everyone at the rave site sat in small groups, talking amongst themselves. Sarah kept giving Sophia beer and she was beginning to feel a bit woozy. Two males, Mike and Ron, walked up to where they were sitting.

"Hi Sophia, hi Sarah," started Mike. "Are you two getting tired of sitting around? Do you want to go for a run or something?" Mike said the "something" word in a suggestive way.

Sophia had no desire to go off with these boys. Sarah, however, smiled at them and said, "Well, maybe..." Mike stepped closer to her and started flirting in earnest.

Across the fire, Presley sat with her friends, Krissy and Dawn. They were complaining to each other that the evening was very dull without the dominant males. Presley was hoping that she would be able to spend the night with Lucas tonight as it had been at least a week since they had last been together. She had been angry with him for spending so much time with Sophia, but now she just wanted to prove to him how much she missed him.

"Would you look at that!" Krissy complained when she saw Mike and Ron trying to pick up on Sarah and Sophia. "Why would they choose them over us?"

Presley looked over across the fire. "Who wants those males anyway?" But she started feeling angry that Sophia always seemed to attract more attention then she did, first at school and now here.

An idea started forming in her mind. "You know, on second thought, I think Sophia and Sarah need a little lesson on who gets first pick of the males around here tonight."

Krissy and Dawn smiled at her and all three of them sauntered around the fire and came up behind Mike and Ron. Presley inserted herself in the middle of the boys and Krissy and Dawn flanked them on both sides, facing towards the male's sides. They leaned toward them, making sure their breasts brushed against the arms of the males.

The males instantly became aroused, surprise on their faces to see the dominant females flirting with them.

Sarah and Sophia just stared at the spectacle. Sophia almost wanted to laugh at this obvious tactic to steal the males away. But then Presley opened her mouth.

"You boys don't want to waste your time with those two when you could have us." Presley smirked at Sophia as she said this.

Dawn and Krissy started to guide the bewildered boys away towards the tree line. These girls never before approached these two particular males. These females were always with Lucas and his friends. Mike and Ron decided they had better take advantage of this rare offer. Presley stayed where she was and smiled at Sophia. "Losers always lose, and winners always win," Presley stated. "Make no mistake about it Sophia, Lucas will come back to me when he's tired of you, he always does."

Sophia was sitting on the tabletop so when she brought her foot up to Presley, it was at chest level. She shoved Presley away with her foot. "Fuck off," Sophia growled. Sophia was feeling bold after a few beers. Sarah put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with surprise.

Presley staggered back but did not fall. She glared angrily at Sophia. "You think you're so protected. There are other ways to hurt you besides physically Sophia! Don't push your luck bitch!" Presley turned and went off into the tree line where her friends had already taken the males. She did not plan to stay however. She decided she would wait for Lucas, outside his bedroom window. Presley left her clothing with her friends and raced off into the forest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam was the first to hear approaching wolves from the east.

_Lucas! Over there, eastwards!_

All the males sprung to their feet and raced off towards the east, Lucas in the lead. They all were becoming aware of the intruders as they felt their fur start to rise on their backs. When they drew near they slowed their pace. They sensed that the Silver Lake wolves were now aware of them and they too stood in alert. Lucas's pack crept slowly towards a small clearing in the forest. Across the clearing, the other pack became visible, standing in attention. The air was thick with tension as they sized each other up. There were five Silver Lake males and no females.

Lucas made his way slowly into the clearing and then flipped to human form. He knew that this would indicate that he wanted to talk before any violence would occur. A large black Silver Lake wolf then approached and flipped as well. He was tall and strong with long black hair and vivid blue eyes.

Lucas recognized him immediately. His name was Nathan and he was Ruby's cousin from her mother's side. Lucas had met him once when his father had a meeting with Nathan's father regarding which pack Ruby should be with. Nathan's father was the Silver Lake Alpha and when he heard Ruby was a white wolf, he wanted her to come to them. Willard had won the argument which had ended in a bloody fight.

"Nathan, you do know that these woods are Wolf Lake territory?" Lucas started.

"We know, Lucas," Nathan smiled. "But the selfishness of your pack has forced us to desperate measures."

Lucas seemed to grow in stature as he stood straighter. "Explain quickly." Lucas's friends all growled behind him in a show of strength.

"We seek females," Nathan replied insolently.

Now the Wolf Lake wolves growled and snarled viciously, fangs snapping.

Lucas's eyes flashed with rage, "Touch one of our females and you die!"

"Since you won't let Ruby live amongst us, or even borrow her when we need her, many of our young have not survived their first flip. For some reason, fewer females are surviving than males."

Lucas knew that Ruby, as a white wolf, was extremely valuable to the pack. Though her power would grow stronger as she aged, even now she possessed enough to help teens through their first transformations. It was why Willard helped Tyler bring her back home when she ran off. Willard had loved his daughter, but as Alpha he had to do what was best for the pack. He couldn't allow her to leave and marry a human. The graveyard was full of teens that had not made it and Willard knew that Ruby could be the one to end the sorrow of that tragedy. Now it fell on Lucas's shoulders to protect the welfare of his pack.

"That is not our problem," growled Lucas.

Now Nathan grew angry, his blue eyes turned to gold. "I think it is."

Lucas and Nathan sprung at each other, transforming back to wolf form in mid air. At the same time, the two packs attacked, racing past the two leaders fighting in the middle. Both sides ripped into each other with fangs and claws, tearing at backs, necks, and legs.

Silver Lake wolves were outnumbered and soon realized that they could not win this time. They retreated when they received a mental order from Nathan to head back to Silver Lake.

The Wolf Lake wolves chased them through the forest, jubilant at this victory. When they reached the borders of their territory Lucas ordered them to stop. They had done well, he thought. It was a good show of strength. He looked around at his pack.

_Anyone hurt bad?_

The smell of blood was everywhere and they were panting hard. Lucas flipped and they all followed suit. They looked at each other's injuries. Every one of them had some kind of puncture or tear, some more than others, but nothing looked life threatening. When they realized this, smiles broke out and sighs of relief that their first pack battle went so well.

"That was fucking awesome," Randy shouted. They all had felt that adrenaline rush during the fight and now the smell of blood had brought out one of their most primal feelings. Randy licked a long slash on his forearm and smiled a bloody grin.

Steven and Adam whooped and hollered. Sean came up behind Lucas, looking at his back. "You've got a long one," he said.

Lucas looked over at Sean. "Yeah, well, your neck doesn't look so hot either," he replied watching blood trickle from Sean's wound.

They both smiled at each other, proud of themselves on this night.

"Let's get back to the females. I can't reach some of these bites." Randy said as he tried to look over his shoulder at his own back.

They all knew that saliva was the best antibiotic for wounds and having the females tend to them was the most pleasurable way to go.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Steven. They were all feeling very pumped up now after tonight's events. Flipping back to wolf form, they ran as fast as their tired and somewhat injured legs would carry them.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sophia and Sarah had each finished their third beers, still waiting for news. They had exhausted the topic of how bad a bitch Presley was and were now growing quiet, listening for sounds from the north. The fire blazed hot still and the teens were all gathered around it in close proximity. Some females were cuddled up with males, but it seemed that everyone was starting to get a bit worried.

Then came the snapping of twigs and the sounds of breathing and moving that only skinwalkers could hear from a distance. They all turned their heads towards the tree line and all conversation stopped as they waited. The unmistakable smell of fresh blood came wafting through the night air and the teens felt primal blood lust starting to affect their bodies.

Sophia looked around at the others and noticed flashing eyes, lengthening teeth, and soft growls coming from everyone. She felt her own body start to shake and realized that she appeared like everyone else. The smell of blood was intoxicating her in a way that the beer never could. "What is happening?" she managed to ask Sarah.

Sarah was gently rocking back and forth, licking her lips as she watched the tree line. "They are returning," she simply said without looking at Sophia.

Sophia could now see through the flames of the fire, the dominant males stepping out of the tree line. They were naked and dripping blood from their wounds, but they all had grins on their faces. They stopped and scanned the rave sight, taking in all who sat there by the fire.

"They will choose!" Sarah whispered to Sophia, an excited look on her face.

Sophia's face swung to the bloody males and in their midst she spotted the biggest one, Lucas, staring at her with an intensity she had never seen before. This was primal Lucas, she realized, and she also began to realize her own primal feelings. Her body throbbed with a need to taste him.

Lucas was the first to move forward and Sean followed closely behind him. All others fell into place according to rank. This was the order in which they would get to choose. The highest ranking always chose first.

Lucas walked straight over to Sophia without looking away from her eyes and held out his hand. Sophia looked straight back into his eyes, trying not to look down at his nude body. Sean had took a place next to Lucas and held out his hand to Sarah. Sophia could feel Sarah's excitement at being chosen and watched as she took Sean's hand and started off towards the forest.

Sophia looked back at Lucas and saw something in his eyes just for a moment. It was vulnerability. Many eyes were watching them and Sophia knew how important it was to him that she accept. She also sensed that it wasn't just because the pack was watching, but it was personal as well.

The moment she placed her hand in his, she felt ripples of energy extending into her body and a light shown in Lucas's eyes. When he turned to pull her towards the trees, she saw the long gash on his back and gasped.

_You're hurt!_

_Nothing that you and flipping can't mend._

Lucas projected back. He led her to a place in the forest and then he simply sat on the ground.

_I need you Sophia, _he whispered in her mind.

"What do you need?" she breathed heavily as she stood looking at him.

"Taste me Sophia, help me," he said in a low voice.

Sophia looked at another couple who had settled not far from them and noticed that the female was licking the wounded neck of the male. She felt her own fangs lengthen at the sight and her mouth watered.

She swung her flashing gaze to Lucas's back, now feeling a haze of lust. But it was not lust for sex, it was lust for blood. She fell to her knees behind Lucas and started licking his wound. She lapped at it with long strokes, taking small breaks to swallow and savor it. In her current hazy state it did not occur to her how unlike herself this was.

This felt completely natural, as if she always did this.

Lucas sucked in his breath and enjoyed the intense pleasure of Sophia tending to his wound. Her long brown hair caressed his back and her intoxicating scent almost made him swoon.

When her saliva had stopped the bleeding, she moved to the front of him and began to examine his arms and chest. She found only one more bleeding wound on his bicep. She sat down to the side of him, but facing in the opposite direction. He lifted his arm up to her mouth and felt her tongue swirl and caress his puncture. He closed his eyes at the soothing sensation.

Then he heard her give a moan of disappointment when the blood stopped flowing. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Go ahead and bite it again baby. Open it up."

She looked at him in surprise. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I want you to do it Sophia. I want to give you what you want. I know it tastes good. I want you to have me."

She was so in the moment and could not think reasonably if she wanted to. She turned and bit open his wound again, watching his face for a reaction. He showed no hint to her that it hurt, but instead shared with her in his mind his intense pleasure.

Sophia's mouth and scent were making him very aroused. He soon pulled her onto his lap, forcing her to stop licking his arm and she turned her gaze into his eyes. They were both breathing heavily, the smell of his blood on her breath. Sophia could feel his arousal on the other side of her jeans and her body was beginning to feel another kind of lust.

Lucas's eyes flashed when he smelled her musk and he brought his lips hard down upon hers. Sophia frantically kissed him back, giving as well as she got. They were lost in total sensation and it felt as though nothing else existed around them. They felt suspended in time and place, and they were the only ones on this cloud of pleasure.

Her hands moved through his hair and then down his chest as she continued her deep kissing. She snaked her arms around his torso to hold him tight and completely forget about his wounded back. She felt him flinch and realized that she had dug a fingernail into his back wound.

Sophia quickly pulled away her arms and broke the kiss.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" she said as she hopped off his lap and went back around him to check out the damage.

"Don't worry about it," he said, disappointed that the mood was broken. He felt her lick his back a few strokes to close it back up.

"Shouldn't you flip to heal this faster?" she then asked.

He let out a sigh. "Yeah, probably so." He knew that it would be the best thing to do, now that her saliva had done it's duty, but he hated having to break the mood. He wanted her so badly, yet at the same time he needed his back healed.

"Come on. I'll drive you home and then I'll sleep in my wolf tonight. My mom is probably wearing a hole in the rug with worry. I should let her know how things went."

They walked to his car he had left there earlier and she waited while he put clothes on. Injured or not, he had a beautiful body, she thought. She snuck peaks at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

In the car, she was beginning to feel back to normal again and her mind filled with the question she had worried about all evening.

"How did it go tonight?"

A smile grew on his face and he said, "Really good, baby."

-----------------------------------------------------------

**Well, there it is! Hope it didn't repulse anyone. :)**

**I'd love to hear from you. Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank to all my reviewers, your comments are very important to me and I enjoy hearing from you. THANKS!**

**Chapter 11: Doubts**

Lucas was on the verge of falling asleep in his bed. He had flipped to his wolf form after informing his mother of all that had transpired with the Silver Lake wolves and showing her that he was all in one piece. His mind began to clear and he felt the welcome veil of sleep come upon him.

_Lucas? Lucas?_

He heard a familiar voice in his mind pulling him awake.

_Pres? Is that you? Where are you?_

_I'm outside. Let me in._

This was not an uncommon thing for them. Many times before Presley had come over in this manner to spend the night. She would wait for Vivian to go to bed, then Lucas would let her quietly in.

Tonight, however, Lucas did not feel like letting her in.

_I need to heal, I'm staying in my wolf tonight._

It was the truth but still it was awkward not to accept Presley's offer. He had never refused before.

_I miss you._

_You saw me at school today._

_You know what I mean!_

Lucas did know what she meant but he did not feel the same way. He did have a great time when they were together but he didn't dwell on her when she wasn't around.

_Can't I just sleep next to you then?_

She persisted and Lucas was starting to get irritated.

_Go home Pres. This is not a good night for that._

_Tomorrow night then?_

Lucas did not answer right away. When he thought of tomorrow, images of Sophia came to his mind.

_I'll see you at school tomorrow._

This was the only thing he could tell Presley. He would not promise more.

Presley felt the disconnection of their mind link and knew that Lucas would say no more. She looked longingly at his window and then turned around to head home. It was all Sophia's fault, she thought as she made her way through the forest. I wish she had not survived her first flip!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning at breakfast, Matt studied his daughter. He had smelled Lucas's scent all over her last night when she came home and he could tell that Lucas occupied much of her thoughts. He felt concerned for her.

"Why are you looking at me like that Dad?" Sophia grumbled as she finished scrambling some eggs and dumped them on two plates.

"Did I forget to comb my hair or something?"

"No sweetheart, you look great. I was just wondering how you're handling the others at school," he stated cautiously. He did not want to pry into her personal life, but he did want to make sure she was happy.

"Well, you were right about a lot of things. You already know about what the females did, although I think a few of them were a little friendlier last night at the rave." She brought the plates to the table and sat down to eat. "The males are horny all the time," she smiled and laughed.

Matt smiled back. "Yeah, I remember what it was like in high school."

Sophia laughed again, "No way! You were like THAT Dad?"

Matt shrugged, "It was only natural," and he smiled at her expression. "Why does every generation think it is the first to event sex?"

Sophia gave him a funny look. "Probably because they can't imagine their parents ever being that way."

"Well, life goes on," Matt told her as she ate. "One day you meet the one you want to be with for life, and then you no longer want anyone else."

"When you first saw mom, did you know she was the one?" Sophia asked. They had talk about her mom many times, but this morning she felt her interest piqued again.

"You know, when I first saw her, I knew there was something very special about her. When I got to know her better, it was like everything about her filled parts of me that were missing. She became so much a part of all my thoughts and soon it felt like everything I did, I did it for her."

Sophia listened patiently. She wanted to hear more about this.

She wanted to know what falling in love was like. She already knew how hard it had been for them. So many were against the match because Marie was human. But Matt gave up becoming Alpha in order to have the woman he loved by his side. Sophia thought that was so romantic.

"How old were you when you fell in love with her?" Sophia was very interested in knowing.

Matt looked at her carefully. "I was eighteen. But not all males are ready to be exclusive at that age."

Sophia knew that skinwalkers used the term "exclusive" to mean the equivalent of a human engagement. It was decided about fifty years ago that since skinwalkers were attending school with humans, they should wait until after high school before they could be officially mated. They did not want to attract more attention to their differences by having so many skinwalkers "married" earlier than humans did. So they created the term "exclusive" to mean skinwalkers that were promised to be mated after high school ended. To declare yourself exclusive meant that you were off the market and that all others had to respect that decision and not approach you for sex.

Sophia was thinking about Lucas and wondered how he really felt about her. Would he be the type to go exclusive?

Matt knew what she was thinking about as she was not very good at blocking her thoughts yet.

"Sophia, you haven't been skinwalker very long, maybe you shouldn't pin your hopes on one person yet," he cautioned, not believing that Cates could possibly be ready to settle down yet.

"What do you mean, Dad?" Sophia said without looking at him. He had hit the mark right on the nose.

"Sweetie, look at me." Sophia shifted her big brown eyes to Matt. "I have seen some positive changes in Lucas lately, but that doesn't mean I believe he is totally ready to give up all his ways."

Sophia didn't like what she was hearing and a saddened look came upon her face. Matt did not like to make her feel this way but he was worried that Lucas would break her fragile heart.

"I just want you to be careful with your expectations of him, sweetie. You've got a generous and loving heart, just like your mother's, and Lucas may not be the one who'll appreciate that."

"I'll be careful Dad." She looked away. She did not want to discuss this anymore.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At school there was a lot of talk about the annual school fundraiser barbeque that was to be held tomorrow. It was held at the lakeside recreation area and there would be volleyball, swimming and eating contests. Sarah and Sophia had bought their tickets yesterday and were looking forward to the nice weather that was promised. At lunch break they sat together in their favorite spot, discussing last night.

"So..." Sophia began, "Sean, huh?" She smiled at Sarah, knowing that Sarah had been bursting with happiness all morning.

"Yep!" Sarah simply said and lay back on the lawn with her hands behind her head, smiling.

"Well?" Sophia pressed, "Aren't you going to tell me the details?"

"Nope!" Sarah teased. "You don't tell me anything about Lucas, so you don't get to know about Sean."

Sophia threw a napkin at her. "I'm sure you have more to tell than I do."

"Maybe." Sarah laughed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sherman Blackstone's class was very quiet that day as the males on the baseball team had all left early on a bus to Seattle. They had a game there this afternoon and because of the long drive, were allowed to leave after lunch. Sophia was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be spending time with Lucas this afternoon. She had only seen him once today in the hall between classes. He was walking in the opposite direction and slowed down when he saw her approaching. They stopped in front of each other and he reached up and placed his hand softly on her face and bent down, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. A teacher in the hallway had seen them and said, "That's enough of that. Get to class." He squeezed her hand once and then they both parted.

All day in class she was thinking about last night and how she had enjoyed the taste of his blood. She looked around at the humans and thought of how shocked they would be to know of this. She thought of how different skinwalkers really were from humans and she was beginning to understand why they had to be separated a lot of the time. She wondered what her mom thought of skinwalkers when she had found out.

Soon the last bell of the day sounded and Sophia and Sarah were getting ready to leave class. Presley was speaking in a loud voice to her friends, unusually loud.

"So where did you go last night?" asked Krissy.

"I went over Lucas's house as usual," she laughed a suggestive laugh.

Sophia felt like someone had just slapped her in the face. She looked over at Sarah with a stricken look. Sarah had heard as well.

_She could be lying._

Sarah tried to console.

Sophia felt like crying. Her chest filled with pain and she grabbed her belongings and walked quickly out the door. Sarah followed her and caught up. They walked silently, tears streaming down Sophia's face and soon they reached a park. Sophia sat on a bench and Sarah sat next to her, unsure of what to say.

"Sophia, it sounded to me like Presley was trying to get you upset. Did you hear how loud she was?"

"Well if it's true, then it's true!" Sophia said angrily. "I just don't get it Sarah. How he can be so romantic with me and then turn around and screw her? Just what is he playing at?"

Sarah felt bad for her. Sophia was really struggling with human views of relationships. "Lucas is a male." She said this as if that would simply explain everything.

Sophia jumped off the bench. "So what! I'm sick of that excuse! I just can't do this Sarah. I can't be like other skinwalkers. I want to be special to someone, not just another lay!" Sophia paced around and finally came back to the bench and sat down.

Sarah looked at the ground and thought of Sophia's predicament. "You want to be exclusive? With Lucas?"

Sophia let out a long breath. "I just don't know anymore." She sagged on the bench. "Maybe my Dad is right. Maybe Lucas isn't the one for me." Her heart ached as she said these words. Lucas was the only one she wanted.

Sarah looked at the very depressed Sophia. "Come on, let's have a girl's night tonight. Can you spend the night?"

Sophia simply said, "Yeah, sure."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Lucas and his friends arrived at the rave sight later than usual as they had arrived from Seattle not too long ago and needed to shower.

He looked around for Sophia and asked some others if they had seen her tonight. They told him that she was not here at all. Presley was making her way over to him when she spotted him but Randy had grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Hey there, did you miss me?"

Presley struggled to get out of his grip. "Let go, I need to see Lucas." When she pushed him away she turned to find Lucas again, but he was already gone. She fisted her hands and stomped one foot. "Where did you go?"

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Sophia and Sarah were watching videos on a T.V. in Sarah's room. Sarah made sure to pick comedies in order to try to cheer Sophia up. It wasn't working too well, as Sophia could not seem to get her mind off Lucas.

_Sophia?_

Sophia sat up straight when she heard Lucas's voice in her head.

_Come out and run with me._

He invited.

Sarah looked at Sophia. "What is it?"

Sophia stood up and went to the window. When she looked down she saw the gray wolf sitting there below, looking up at the window. He had gone to her house first and when he found that she wasn't there, he did a scan and found her here.

"He's down there," Sophia said to Sarah. "He wants me to run with him." Sophia's voice sounded dull and forlorn.

Lucas saw Sophia at the window and was excited to see her. Then he noticed the expression on her face.

_Sophia? What's wrong?_

_I'm not going out tonight Lucas._

_Why? What's the matter?_

She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to tell him. She didn't want him to know how much her heart hurt. What if he didn't share the same feelings for her? She didn't want to be pathetic.

_Sophia, please come out and talk to me._

She knew what she had to do. She was thinking about this all evening.

_Just for a little while. Just to talk. _

She projected this and then she backed away from the window. She looked at Sarah, who was giving her a questioning look.

"I'll be right back." She left the room and went downstairs.

When she came outside, she looked around for him but he was not in the same spot. She heard his voice behind some trees. "Over here," he said.

She walked over and saw him sitting nude on a rail fence. He looked down at her bare legs in her cute blue boxer shorts and gave her a slight smile. "So why the long face baby? You did know I had a game in Seattle today, didn't you?" He assumed that she might be upset with him for not meeting her after school.

She stood facing him but she would not meet his eyes. She crossed her arms and looked off to the side.

His smile faded when he felt an ominous feeling about her expression. "Sophia? What is it?"

"I think we should just spend some time apart, for awhile," she stated, still not looking at him. She felt her heart sink lower when she sensed how much her words had hit him.

He sat, just staring at her. He didn't understand what was going on and a bereft feeling washed over him. Not spend time with her? Was she trying to slit his throat or what?

"Why?" he asked in a soft low voice.

She shifted her feet and still would not look directly at him. She was afraid she would start crying.

"Because I... just need some time," she answered. She wished she had the guts to just say what was really on her mind. She wished she could just tell him that she couldn't trust him and that she didn't want to be just another female in his harem.

Lucas could see that she wasn't saying everything and he didn't want to invade her mind and get her more upset with him. So he said, "How much time do you need?" He needed to know that she wasn't dismissing him from her life forever.

"Maybe until after prom sometime," Sophia answered softly.

Was this what she was upset about, he thought. She is still dwelling on the prom thing. He thought they had discussed that already.

Then she said, "After all, we are both going with different people."

He jumped to his feet. "What?!" Sophia jumped back in surprise at his outburst. She looked at him now, a bit frightened. "Who? Who are you going with?" he barked. He even was surprised at his own reaction. He backed up a bit and tried to maintain his cool.

"Scott," she squeaked.

He could no longer control his reaction. His eyes widened and flared. "You will not!"

Now she started to get angry. "Like you said, it's just a dance," she threw his own words of yesterday back at him.

"You cannot date humans, Sophia!" he glared at her. "I won't allow it!"

She shook her head at him in angry amazement. "You won't allow it? Just leave me alone Lucas!" she turned quickly and stalked away towards the house.

Lucas felt the slamming of the door. It felt like a dagger slamming into his heart. How could she do this to him? He felt like ripping that human boy's head off. He paced back and forth looking up at the room where he knew Sophia went. He heard her crying and he knew Sarah was trying to comfort her.

Why was this happening? He had thought things were going so well for them. With a last look at the house, he flipped and ran off into the woods as fast as he could go. He needed to run and he felt that he would never stop.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**As always, please review me! Encouragement always helps. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to everyone who is reading and enjoying this version of Wolf Lake. I welcome and enjoy your comments! Keep them up!**

**Chapter 12: Plotting **

The next morning was Saturday and the day promised to be sunny and warm. Sean and Randy were in a good mood as they pulled up in front of the Cates house, looking for Lucas. Vivian opened the door and told them that Lucas was in his room getting ready.

They expected to find him dressed more casually for the lakeside barbeque and instead found him dressed as if going to church. Sean looked him over as they came into the room and said, "Aren't you planning to swim?"

Lucas was fastening his shirt and replied, "I have to go to that meeting with my mom. They want to talk about what happened with the Silver Lake wolves."

Sean and Randy looked disappointed. "That sucks," grumped Randy.

"Yeah, well, that's life. I'll come by later, when this thing is done," Lucas grumped back.

"Yeah, all right, but this might be empty by then." Randy pulled out a bottle of rum he planned to sneak in.

Lucas turned to Randy. "Have you asked anyone to the prom yet?"

Randy gave Lucas a funny expression. "You know I don't care to socialize with a lot of humans. Why do you ask?"

"I need to ask you for a favor," Lucas continued. He had been planning this all morning. "I need you to ask Sophia to the prom."

"That's more like a favor for me," grinned Randy. "I thought you didn't want to share her."

"You know I'm already going with Presley. Besides, she thinks she's going with a human and I want her to feel like she has another option."

"She can't go with a human!" Sean stated. "Did you tell her that?"

"Yeah, I did. But she's mad at me right now, I don't even know why, so she's not listening. I need you two to help me with this."

"Tell us what to do," said Sean.

"I need you to make that human, Scott, see that she's off limits."

Randy smiled wide. "I'd love to kick his weak little ass! How dare he think he could have one of our females!"

"No that's not what I want," Lucas said, and Randy's face fell. "I just want you to be all over her today whenever that little punk is looking. I want him to be the one to break it off with her. If we attack him or force her to break it off, then she'll just be more pissed at me. Think you can handle it?" Lucas smiled a knowing smile at Randy.

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it," Randy grinned back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia and Sarah sat with their legs dangling off the pier, watching the activity on the shore. The barbeque pits were all lit and the teachers and volunteer parents were getting ready to start cooking. The skinwalker teens naturally gravitated to each other and took over the occupation of the pier. They did this every year at this same event. The human teens avoided the pier, as they always felt unwelcome there. So the human teens stayed to the shore, playing volleyball and talking amongst themselves. There was also a large anchored raft that floated offshore about forty feet away, that both skinwalkers and humans enjoyed swimming out to.

The weather was promising to be warm and all were decked out in shorts and swimsuits. Some students were in charge of music and set up a stereo and speaker system to play throughout the area. The skinwalker teens were happy to see that some of the cooks would be skinwalker teachers this year as last year the humans overcooked the meat.

Sophia dreaded seeing Lucas today but so far he had not shown up. Presley had just arrived and took a place on the pier with her friends, not too far from Sarah and Sophia. Sophia wondered if Lucas went straight to Presley last night after their talk. The thought was depressing.

"Look, here come Sean and Randy," Sarah pointed. Sophia looked around and noticed that Lucas had not come with them. They were carrying many cans of cola in their arms and sat behind Sarah and Sophia. Randy then spread his own towel next to Sophia's and Sean spread his next to Sarah's. "Hey Sarah," Sean said as he put his arm around her and kissed her shoulder. Sarah smiled at him and said, "Hey." Something definitely happened between those two, thought Sophia.

Randy was busy dumping half the soda out of every can they brought and replacing it with rum. Sean sat at an angle, blocking the view of the adults who might notice. "Anyone thirsty?" Randy asked. "How about you, Sophia?"

"Yeah, sure," she said. She felt that she needed to relax before Lucas showed up. She took a sip of Randy's concoction and made a face. "That is strong!"

Randy let out a laugh. "You'll get use to it." Randy scanned around for the human boy, Scott. He found him by the volleyball area, talking to other humans. He looked at Sean and Sean glanced back at him, nodding slightly. They had discussed what they would do on the drive here. First they needed to get Sophia good and relaxed. "Drink up beautiful. There's plenty more."

Other people nearby reached for the drinks as well. The heat of the sun felt wonderful on their skin and the teens stretched out on their towels. They did not have to worry about sunburn because skinwalker skin was not sensitive to the sun. Still, they loved to rub fragrant sun oil on their bodies as it seemed to intensify the heat of the sun and it made them feel decadent.

So they laid there in the sun, listening to music and the sounds of the crowd, lifting their heads to sip their drinks once in awhile. Sophia then sat up to stretch and she felt a dizziness shoot straight to her brain. "Whoa..." she swayed.

"You all right?" Sarah said as she sat up too. Sarah was feeling tipsy as well. They both looked at each other and grinned. "Guess we had too much," they giggled.

The eyes of Randy and Sean opened at the same time and they looked across at each other behind the girls' backs. "Do you want me to do your back for you Sarah?" Sean asked.

"Um... that would be great," she swayed toward him.

Sophia then felt Randy's face right next to hers, his cheek brushing hers lightly. "How about you?" he whispered.

"How about me what?" she giggled.

"Do you want me to put some oil on you?" he said placing a light kiss on her cheek. Sophia swayed away from him and looked at him the best she could.

"Watch it... mister!" she laughed.

Her eyes caught Presley watching them. Presley rolled her eyes and turned her head the other way shifting her position on her towel away from them.

"Lay down girls and let the master masseurs get to work," Sean stated as he made of show of cracking his fingers. Sarah and Sophia laughed and turned over on their tummies. He uncapped a bottle of coconut sun oil that had been warming in the sun and poured some over Sarah's back. She squealed in delight and then let a sigh of pleasure out when his strong hands started gliding over her back.

Randy took the oil and said, "Your turn sexy." Sophia felt the oil and then his hands on her back. At first she was tense, as she wasn't sure if he would try to cop a feel. But he stayed on her back only and she began to relax under the wonderful sensation.

"I love this bikini, Sophia."

"Thanks," she said, her voice was muffled because her face was cradled in her arms.

Sean and Randy then looked at each other as they worked on the girl's backs. They noticed that Scott was now engaged in a volleyball game. It was time to put their plan in action. Their eyes turned slightly amber as they prepared to combine energies.

Scott was enjoying the day. He had wished that he could spend more time with Sophia, like he did at last year's barbeque, but she was staying on the pier with the teens he disliked the most. Maybe when she came to each lunch, he could talk to her, he planned in his head. The volleyball game he was engaged in was a bit slow and he felt a little frustrated that he couldn't get a good game in with better players.

About midway through the game, Scott began to feel a weird sensation in his head. It felt electrical, like a current. He tried to shake his head to get rid of this strange feeling. When that didn't work, he shut his eyes for a few moments. It was then, with closed eyes, that images began popping into his mind. Images of Sophia... naked! Not only naked, but with Randy touching her most private place. His eyes opened quickly and his head whipped around towards the pier where he knew she was.

He couldn't believe his eyes! There was Randy, rubbing oil onto Sophia and he had the string of her bikini top in his mouth, pulling it loose. Randy's eyes connected with Scott's as he did this, grinning a wicked grin.

Scott backed away out of the game and started walking off. He did not want to be here anymore. One of the players in the game yelled, "Hey Scott, where are you going? Aren't you playing?" But there was no answer.

Sophia felt the string on her bikini being pulled and she turned her head sideways to glare at Randy. "What are you doing? Please tie that back up for me."

"You don't want to get tan lines babe. And it's easier for me to massage you this way," Randy simply said. He looked over at Sean and projected on a private pathway.

_That was too easy. Did you see the little fucker run?_

Sean just smiled in return.

_I was hoping to give him more to see._

Then Randy remembered the other thing Lucas had asked him to do. He laid his body on his towel next to Sophia and propped his head up sideways to look at her. Sophia felt his gaze and turned her head towards his.

"What?" she asked.

"I wanted to ask you something Sophia," he grinned. She waited for him to speak more. "I'd really like to take you to the prom; will you go with me?"

Krissy, lying next to Presley, lifted her head up and looked at them in shock. She had heard everything. She was sure that Randy was going to ask her for the last month. She nudged Presley and angrily pointed at Sophia and Randy. Presley just said, "Drop it!" She did not want to deal with Sophia today. She ignored her friend's indignation and closed her eyes to soak in some more sun.

Sophia looked at Randy and said in a sleepy voice, "Can't. Already got a date."

Randy pretended disappointment. "Well, if that doesn't work out, give me a call." She gave him a funny look. Something didn't seem right to her. She sighed as she grabbed on to the front of her bikini top to prevent Randy from getting a peek. She sat up and ran a hand through her long hair, feeling very tired with the effects of the drink, the sun, and the massage.

"Could you tie my top back on please? I think everyone is lining up for lunch now," she pointed out. She looked around at Sarah and noticed Sean was now lying next to her and they were kissing deeply. Sophia cleared her throat loudly and they broke the kiss.

"Are you coming?" she said to Sarah. Sarah looked at her confused. "The food is ready," Sophia reminded.

"Oh,... yeah," Sarah smiled. Everyone got up and made their way over to the picnic tables.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The meeting had finally ended and Lucas was on his way to the picnic, his towel and swimsuit on the backseat, waiting to be put on when he arrived. He had hoped there would still be food left when he got there. Sherman Blackstone was sitting in the seat next to him, getting a ride to the same event.

"Do you really think they'll return?" Lucas inquired. His mother had expressed her fears that this may be the beginning of a war.

Sherman shrugged, "Who can tell? But if they are short of females, as they say, then they will continue to have a lot of unsatisfied males. I can understand how they may be driven to extremes. In any case, I think your mother's idea about keeping our females safer, is a good one."

"They will not be happy about it," Lucas sighed.

"No, they will not," Sherman agreed. He looked over at Lucas and noticed that the young Alpha seemed distracted with other matters.

"Speaking of females, I've noticed you've been hanging around a lot with our newest member," he stated. He did not want to seem like a busy body, but as Willard's friend, he had promised to be there for Lucas when he needed help of any kind. Willard had made him promise to look out for Lucas as much as possible without being too obvious.

Lucas grimaced and stared straight ahead. "Well, not any more, it seems."

"Something happen?" Sherman asked.

"You're a nosey old man Blackstone," Lucas glanced over at him. Sherman just shrugged.

Truth was, Lucas did feel like talking about it. He would have spoken to his father about this if he was still alive. He was having a hard time understanding females lately and he wanted the advice of someone who may know something about them. He wasn't sure Sherman was the right guy to talk to, being alone as he was, but Lucas knew he could trust him. He also use to be a close friend to Willard, Lucas remembered.

"I don't really understand what happened," Lucas began. "Everything was going great between us and then last night she's all mad and everything. She says she wants time apart."

Blackstone listened, considering the situation. "Did you ask her what's wrong?"

"Of course!" Lucas looked at Sherman as if he were stupid. "She won't say. I think it's that human, Scott, who's been moving in on her behind my back. She's agreed to go to the prom with him."

"Well, she is a Donner. Donners tend to have a thing for humans," Sherman blithely replied.

"It's not going to happen! You know it's a bad idea. Anyways, I really want to know why she turned so cold all of a sudden. It was like I did something to piss her off, but for the life of me I can't think what that could be," Lucas worried.

Sherman looked at Lucas carefully. He finally said, "She's really gotten to you, hasn't she?"

The car pulled into the parking lot at the recreation area. Lucas turned off the engine and sat back in his seat, shutting his eyes. Sherman sat staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"I can't think about anyone else," he admitted.

Sherman sighed and looked out the window, an idea coming into his mind. He never would have considered what he was thinking if Willard was still alive. After all, it was Willard who had forbidden it. "She may be your true mate," he said softly.

Lucas looked over at Sherman, a surprised look dawning on his face. "What are you saying? How can you know this?"

"I don't know it. But there is a way to find out."

Lucas looked away. Could this be possible? "How?"

I might as well tell him, Sherman thought. Now that Willard's gone, Lucas should have the choice. "There is an old relic, a disk that has been in our pack's possession for longer than anyone can remember. In the center of this disk is a green jewel of great power. It is said that when true mates both lay a hand on it, the green jewel will glow."

"Why haven't I heard of this before?" Lucas wondered. Was the old man making this up?

"Your father had me hide it long ago. He said to tell anyone who asked that it was lost," Sherman admitted. He looked at Lucas carefully. He did not want to tell Lucas why, but he knew that Lucas would want to know that next. He supposed he could tell him part of the truth.

"Why?" came the inevitable question.

"He was afraid that couples would split apart if they found out that they were not true mates. He felt that some people, who's true mates could have died as teens, would have been doomed to a life of loneliness."

Lucas sat mulling these words over. Was it possible that Sophia was his true mate? It would certainly explain how obsessed he was with her. No other female had ever taken over his sensibilities before. Finally he decided.

"I want to know."

"You think she'll be agreeable to this, given what you said about her being upset with you?" Sherman questioned.

Lucas let out a sharp laugh. "Not likely!" He started to think about how he could get her to touch the disk but he did not think she would be agreeable to doing it consciously. Maybe he should wait until she wasn't so upset with him. That idea left as quickly as it came. He wanted to know now! "I'm coming over your place to get that disk tonight. I'll figure out a way to make her touch it." There was no way he was going to rest until he knew for sure.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Please review, review, review. Thanks! (wagging my wolfie tail)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to everyone who have sent reviews. Also, thanks to Roswellachick for faithfully sending me such detailed reviews. I look forward to them all.**

**I'm new to fan fiction, having just discovered it two months ago. I had no idea all this existed and I've been very excited about it ever since. Wolf Lake was the reason I found it. I absolutely loved the show and was saddened when it ended. I had already made up continuations of the series in my head, knowing what I would have liked to see happen. So fooling around on the computer a few months ago, I typed Wolf Lake into my search engine and was surprised to see all this. It kept me up many nights, reading the fictions already there. I was thrilled that all these wonderful stories existed and it sparked me to finally put mine down. So here I am, better late then never. I hope Wolf Lake lives on in many hearts for many years to come!**

**Chapter 13: Full Moon**

The barbeque was winding down to its end and many humans and adults were leaving. Having arrived late, Lucas had missed most of it and now sat on the pier with his friends. The other skinwalkers stayed as well enjoying this time together as a pack. Sophia had swum out to the raft when she noticed Lucas arriving andwas nowlaying in the middle, sunning herself. Jennifer, her old human friend was keeping her company.

Sophia couldn't help glancing over at Lucas. He was so good looking and she couldn't seem to stop looking at his bare chest.

She looked straight up and could see the full moon waiting for its turn to dominate the sky. The sun was well past it's zenith and shadows were hinting at it's farewell.

She began to think about the full moon and how the last time she saw one was in Italy. She remembered how strongly her wolf called out to her that night. It was a great torment for her not to be able to flip and run. She had promised her aunt and uncle that she would not. So she stayed in her room, clawing at the sheets and biting on her pillow. It made her wonder how her dad had done it all those years, suppressing his wolf. How did he ever get through the full moons?

She could feel how charged the atmosphere was around her. Even in daylight the full moon had already sharpened her senses. She looked over at Jennifer who was speaking a mile a minute without a pause. At least it seemed that way to Sophia as she felt the beginning of a haze forming throughout her mind.

Sophia swallowed hard and clamped her mouth shut as she felt her teeth elongate slightly. Her heightened senses smelled Jennifer's human scent and Sophia could see the vein pulsing in Jennifer's neck. Jennifer babbled on, unaware of the changes in Sophia's demeanor. Sophia's nails began to lengthen and she curled them under her palms, out of Jennifer's sight.

Sophia began to feel distressed as she realized how out of control she was becoming. She wanted to tell Jennifer to leave quickly, to go back to the shore. Suddenly a shadow fell over them and they both looked to see what was blocking the sun.

Lucas Cates stood there on the raft, dripping from the swim over. He looked at Jennifer and said, "The picnic is over, I think you need to go home." Jennifer would have normally protested someone telling her what to do, but something about Lucas Cates filled her with fear.

"Come on Sophia, let's go." Jennifer said warily.

"Sophia stays," Lucas said, now looking directly at Sophia. Jennifer looked from one to the other and then slipped back into the water and swam to shore.

When Jennifer was out of earshot, Lucas lifted an eyebrow and stated, "It's forbidden to eat humans these days, without the approval of the pack."

Sophia sat up and glared at him, "I wasn't going to eat her!"

"No? But you wanted to. Your feeling the moon's pull right now and it's going to get worse as night falls."

Sophia pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, hiding her face. "What do I do?" she mumbled in her misery.

"On full moons we go deep into the forest, away from the town. We can control ourselves with effort, but it's best not to be too close to humans those nights... just in case." He watched her for a few moments. "It's not so bad Sophia. We have a lot of fun out there and get to run off a lot of energy, you'll see."

He crouched down in front of her. "Sophia, look at me." He could not stand her rejection of him last night. He had intended to be cool about it and give her the space she asked for, but now in her presence he found that he desperately wanted things to be right again.

Sophia raised her sad brown eyes and looked at him, waiting for his next words.

"Tell me what's really going on? What did I do to upset you?" Lucas asked softly. He felt his heart start pounding in his chest as he waited for her to answer.

"Does it really matter to you that much?" she asked in return.

"Yes! It matters a lot," Lucas said without hesitation. He watched as Sophia's gaze shifted towards the pier, looking at Presley. He followed her gaze and realized that this had something to do with that vicious blonde. "Sophia... I told you already that I'd rather be with you than Presley." Lucas took a deep breath and gazed at Sophia, willing her to look back into his eyes. "There is only one female that has my heart, Sophia, and it is not Presley."

Sophia gasped in surprise. What was he saying? But then she remembered what she knew and grew angry. "Well, she still has your body though!" she growled out.

Lucas stood up in surprise, "What? What are you talking about?"

"I know how she spent the night at your house with you Thursday and she probably was there last night too," Sophia began, now on her angry roll. "If you want to know why I'm upset, it's this Lucas. I can't trust you, plain and simple. I don't want a guy who sleeps with other females and if that makes me some weird humanlike skinwalker, then so be it!"

Lucas looked at her in surprise. "I haven't slept with anyone since you've been back!"

"Not according to blondie over there!" she spat back, giving Presley a dirty look.

Lucas whipped his head around and spotted Presley on the pier, the anger on his face made the watching Presley shake.

_Get over here. Now!_

Presley scooted off the pier, into the water and swam over to the raft. Lucas was glaring holes in her the whole time. She did not get on the raft however, but only pulled herself up onto her arms, looking scared at Lucas's anger.

"Did we sleep together on Thursday?" he questioned with barely suppressed anger in his voice.

Presley looked from Lucas to Sophia and then back to Lucas, looking upset at being caught in her lie. She did not want to rescind her words in front of Sophia but she knew she could not get away with lying to Lucas.

"Did we?" he snapped at her louder.

"No!" she snapped back, not looking at Sophia.

"Have I even touched you since Sophia's been back?" Lucas ordered her to answer.

Presley was very angry at having to admit defeat in front of Sophia. "No," she said softer this time.

"Then why did you tell her that we did?"

"I didn't tell her that!" Presley glared at Sophia now. "I only said that I went over to your house. That was not a lie!"

Sophia hated hearing this. Who was the one lying? She started to get up, getting ready to leave. "You know what? It doesn't matter, you two just go ahead and play your little games with each other. Leave me out of them."

"You're going to tell her exactly what happened on Thursday and your going to tell her now!" Lucas's eyes were glowing and his nails were lengthening. Presley became very frightened. Sophia was surprised at his display. She waited to see what would happen.

"O.K., O.K.," Presley squeaked, "I went over there to be with Lucas, but he turned me down. He didn't let me in. O.K.? Are you happy now?" She glared at Sophia. Sophia just looked at the floor of the raft, feeling confused. She had been angry for nothing and she realized she had hurt Lucas as well.

Lucas was not finished with Presley. "Don't ever try to mislead Sophia like that again, do you hear?" He was still very angry with her. "I won't tolerate lies about me!"

Presley cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Now get out of here!" He snapped at her and watched her swim back to shore. Then he looked over at Sophia. She was standing now, looking at him with regret.

"I'm sorry Lucas. I'm sorry I believed what I did and for the things I said to you. It just really hurt me when I thought you had slept with her," Sophia admitted. She looked down at the water, feeling like an idiot.

Lucas stepped over to her, relief washing over him. He was happy to see this more recognizable, softer, Sophia. He lifted her chin up to look at his face. "You're the only one I want Sophia."

Sophia felt her heart expand with joy as he said those words. The ones she had always wanted to hear. "Lucas," she whispered as she flew into his arms, grabbing hold around his waist. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his warm embrace. He laid his cheek upon her hair and breathed in her special scent.

"God, I thought I'd lost you," he admitted, his voice muffled in her hair. He placed light kisses on her head, moving his lips across her cheek and finally finding her ready mouth. Sophia brought her arms up around his neck and pulled him down closer as the kiss deepened to a frantic pace. The full moon watched from the sky, filling them with more raw need. Sophia's leg lifted and wrapped around Lucas's thigh and he immediately grabbed on to it, lifting it over his hip, giving her most heated place the pressure it craved. Sophia began little moans into his feasting mouth, feeling a powerful need building inside her every cell.

Just then, the other skinwalkers on the pier began whooping and cheering, all except a certain blonde and her two friends. Sophia lowered her leg and broke the kiss, turning three shades of red as she tucked her embarrassed face into Lucas's shoulder. Lucas chuckled and held her, giving little kisses to the top of her head.

"Welcome to your first real full moon baby. It's going to be an interesting night," he promised.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**O.K. fans, here's your chance to put your two cents in. Lot's of things could happen on this full moon night, so how would you like to see it shape up? More sex or more violence? I have story lines that could go either way, so what's your preference?**

**Send me a review and let me know, I'll go with the majority. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all your responses to the last chapter! I can see that there is a demand for both sex and violence so we'll have it! Full moon night will last for two chapters as there is so much I have planned to happen. I hope you enjoy the first part and I'm working now on the second part. Let me know how you like it! **

**Chapter 14 The Long Night (part 1)**

Lucas had dropped Sophia off at her house to shower and get ready for tonight. He left for his own home to do the same and to "get supplies" as he called it. All the teens were to meet at the diner at 7:00 p.m., ready to go deep into the forest. Before he left her, he told her to not leave her home until he had come to get her. This made Sophia a bit nervous. Would she really lose control around humans if she went outside? After what almost happened with Jennifer, she decided not to test it out.

Now she stood in the shower, washing all the coconut oil off of her skin and hair. It had been a day she did not expect. She was so happy that things seemed right again between her and Lucas. Not only did they seem right, but even better. He had practically told her that he loved her. He didn't say those words, but what else could he mean? Sophia took a long time in the shower, as she thought over all his words. He said that she had his heart and that she was the only one he wanted. If that wasn't close to love, then what was?

Then she began to think about what she felt for him. She couldn't deny that the things he said made her extremely happy. She wanted him to feel those things for her because she too felt that way about him. He was the only one she wanted. She thought about him constantly and, before today, was scared of how badly she wanted a relationship with him. But with his words of today, she felt that all she desired could become a reality. Sophia smiled and hummed to herself as she dried off and found something simple to wear. She knew she would not be wearing clothes for very long tonight because she expected to remain in her wolf most of the night.

She was combing out her hair when she heard the door slam and her father bounding up the stairs. "Sophia?"

"In here Dad," she called from the bathroom. Matt came up behind her.

"Full moon tonight sweetheart, I was thinking…" he began, but Sophia cut off his words.

"I know Dad. I'm already planning to go into the forest with the others.

"Oh… well… alright, I guess that would probably be best."

Sophia's face grew concerned and she asked Matt, "What about you?"

Matt smiled at her in the mirror. "I'm working tonight. Who do you think keeps the humans safe during full moons? I basically scan around for potential trouble."

"But Dad, isn't it hard for you? Don't you feel the pull yourself?" she worried.

"Sweetie, I've been a pillar of control for a very long time," he let out a little laugh. "Besides, the older you get, the better you get at suppressing your urges. I do agree that you young ones need to get away, but the adults can usually handle it. I say "usually" because there are some that still feel the need to lock themselves away for the night. You definitely don't see many skin walkers on the street on full moon nights."

"Alright, if you say so," she said. She could hear the return of Lucas's car a few blocks away and turned to grab a few things for her bag. Matt could hear Lucas coming as well and came down the stairs after her.

Lucas pulled up in front of Sophia's house and watched as she came out of the house with the Sheriff close behind her. He sighed deeply wondering what lecture he was about to get. He stepped out of the car and went around the passenger side to open the door for Sophia.

"Hi," he smiled at Sophia as she got in. Then he looked at Matt, "Hey, Sheriff."

"Lucas," Matt greeted him with a neutral tone of voice. He knew that Lucas was important to Sophia, but he still wasn't sure about the kid. "I expect you to drive safely with her in your car," Matt informed him. Matt had given Lucas numerous speeding tickets in the past. "I also expect you to take good care of her out there. If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible."

"If anything happens to her, I'll hold myself responsible," Lucas replied seriously. The two males stared intensely at one another. Matt finally looked away and gave a small smile.

"Alright," Matt stated. Sophia knew that something important just happened. Matt had sized Lucas up and decided to trust him. Sophia smiled at her father.

"I love you Dad, see you in the morning," she told him.

"Bye honey, love you too. You two be careful out there. Keep all those kids out of the north woods Lucas," Matt said in parting.

"Will do, Sheriff," Lucas gave him a wave and went around to the driver's seat.

Matt watched Lucas lean over and give Sophia a kiss before driving away. He sighed as he watched them drive out of sight. "He's her choice," he said to himself. Matt decided that he didn't want to be the type of parent that his were. He didn't want to tell Sophia who she can or cannot be with. He remembered from his own past, how much he resented everyone telling him that he shouldn't be with Marie. He could only keep his fingers crossed that Sophia would make the right choices in life. "She's a lot like you Marie," Matt said out loud, "falling for the biggest trouble maker in town!"

----------------------------------------------------------------

The parking lot at the diner was busy as the teens organized themselves into different vehicles, ready for the drive out of town. Sarah and Sean sat in the backseat of Lucas's car, already kissing and teasing one another. Sophia gave Sarah a knowing smile and turned back to look at Lucas who was standing outside the car with everyone else.

"We are going west tonight to my parent's hunting lodge," he told them. "Park your cars just off the road and bring whatever you brought by foot the rest of the way. No one goes anywhere alone tonight, especially females. We all need to stick together when we go out and I think you all are aware why that has to be."

Presley was leaning on Dawn's mother's car listening to Lucas speak. She had her arms crossed and the look on her face was not kind. She kept glancing at Sophia sitting in Lucas's car and she felt like going over to her and scratching her eyes out.

_If I have to be stuck in that lodge watching Lucas and Sophia climb all over each other, I'm going to puke._

She projected to Dawn and Dawn nodded in agreement.Randy sauntered over to her and pinned her against the car with his body.

"Aw Pres, don't look so upset. You know you always have me."

Presley tried to look mad, but a smile started to lift one corner of her pouting mouth. "That's better." He raised his hands to her ribs and tickled her. She laughed and pushed him away. "Dawn, do you have room for one more? I need a ride." He looked at Presley suggestively.

"I suppose you can ride in the back with Presley," Dawn teased her friend.

"Thanks a lot Dawn!" Presley said, trying to sound grumpy.

"Your welcome," Dawn laughed. She knew Presley needed cheering up and even though Presley always dwelt on Lucas, it was Randy that made her smile. Dawn knew Presley would never admit that though.

Soon everyone was driving down the old dirt road that led into the forest westwards. The sky was darkening and the moon was hidden behind the tree tops. Sophia closed her eyes as she felt her blood quickening in her body. Lucas reached over and stroked her cheek with one finger. She turned her gaze towards him.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smiled dreamily at him. She studied his face as he drove. He had such a striking profile. Her eyes lowered to his arms and chest and she remembered how he held her on the raft today and how good it felt to touch him. Her gaze went lower still, to his strong legs and hips. Her breathing became shallow as she remembered what he looked like without his clothing.

Lucas swallowed hard. He was aware this whole time of Sophia's undressing of him with her eyes and of how aroused she was becoming. He did not look at her or make her aware that he knew because he did not want her to stop. He could feel the sexual energy she was sending him and his clothing was suddenly feeling way too tight. Two can play at this game, he thought.

Sophia's gaze softened as she sat looking Lucas over. She began to feel a tingling feeling in her knees. She tried straightening her legs a bit and shifting her position, but it did not get rid of the sensation. In fact, the feeling seemed to be spreading slowly upwards. Her lower thighs started to tingle and grow warm and she scratched at them with her nails. Lucas looked out the window in the opposite direction and smiled. She had no idea that this was his doing. He then put on a serious face and looked straight ahead again, concentrating his energy in full force to it's ultimate goal.

The tingling now traveled to her upper thighs and Sophia slapped the top of her thighs.

"What's the matter baby?" Lucas asked innocently. "Did mosquitoes get into the car?"

Sophia rubbed and massaged her thighs. "No, I don't know what it is. My legs are feeling weird."

Lucas pretended concern on his face and focused the energy to travel higher to the junction between her legs. Sophia made a little jump and squeezed her legs together. But the feeling became so pleasurable she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, her breaths coming much quicker now. She was becoming flushed when she looked over at Lucas to find him grinning at her. It was then the realization hit her. He was doing it!

"Lucas! Stop! This is not funny!" she gasped. He immediately stopped the energy assault and oddly Sophia was disappointed that he did. "Oh, my God! How? How did you do that? You are so bad!" she hit his arm playfully.

He just laughed at her reaction as he pulled off the road, finally reaching their destination. Sophia noticed the other cars that were following pulled over as well and people started getting out of the cars, gathering blankets and ice chests. Lucas looked over at her.

"Ready?" he smiled.

"I don't know," she said warily. "You are way too much for me to handle."

"Then let me do all the handling," he grinned wickedly.

"Huh!" she smiled, shaking her head.

Darkness had fallen when they all reached the lodge. Sophia was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was inside. A couple of the males lit a fire in the fireplace and they all settled in. Sophia had never been here before and she walked around, looking at the rooms. There was a large main room, with sofas and over stuffed chairs. Fur rugs on the floor and deer heads mounted on the walls made the place truly a hunter's retreat. On one side of the main room was a door that led to a kitchen and dining area. The other side of the main room held a hallway which led to three bedrooms and a bathroom. She was checking out the bedrooms when Lucas came up behind her.

"My parents used to use this place often. It made a nice get-a-way for them that wasn't too far away if they were needed back home," he explained.

"It's really nice," Sophia replied. She also noticed the doggy doors placed on all the doors in and out of the lodge. She thought of how all skin walkers had doggy doors on their homes.

When they walked back into the main room, Sophia stopped and turned her head away from the view of all the teens in various stages of undress, some had already flipped to wolf form. She suddenly felt very awkward and asked Lucas, "So… where are wegoing?"

He smiled wide at her and answered, "Hunting of course!"

"Seriously? Hunting what?" Sophia wondered.

"Well, the best eating is deer meat, but rabbits can be tasty as well." Lucas turned to the room of teens and said, "Remember what I said about sticking together. Absolutely no wandering off on your own. Also, only bucks tonight because the doe are still nursing the fawns."

Sophia was fascinated by his words. She had never hunted anything before, not even as a human. She had always felt sorry for the beautiful deer she saw hunters bring into town. Lucas looked at her now and could see her hesitation.

"Would you rather I call Jennifer to come up here and let you chase her?" he joked with her.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Oh your so funny!"

"Don't worry Sophia, once you get into it, you'll find it is just what you need. Full moons attract bloodshed. Better it be the deer than the humans."

Sarah was already in her light brown wolf and came prancing up to Sophia.

_Come on Sophia, hurry and flip._

Sophia glanced around the room at everyone. She still didn't feel comfortable shedding her clothing in front of an audience. Lucas didn't seem to have a problem with that as he was already half way naked next to her.

"Um… I've got to pee first," she said and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door. She took off her clothing and folded it neatly in a stack. Thank goodness for doggy doors, she thought as she flipped and stepped through the one on the bathroom door.

Lucas stood in his dark gray wolf waiting for her in the hallway. He watched as Sophia's soft light gray wolf padded up to him and then stood, looking at him with her wolven senses.

_You are beautiful baby._

When Sophia and Lucas walked out to the main room, all the wolves looked at them. Sarah exclaimed,

_Wow! Light and dark, you two look great together._

_I think so too!_

Lucas said as he gave Sophia a playful nudge.

Everyone waited for Lucas to take the lead and as he walked towards the front door he turned his head and said,

_Sophia, stay next to me._

Lucas was very excited to finally have Sophia with him, in her wolf form, running and playing together. He could tell she was excited as well, running with a pack for the first time in her life. He wanted to howl, but they had to remain silent if they wanted to capture anything tonight. They naturally ran upwind so that the deer would not be alerted to their scent. Everyone was looking and smelling for any signs of recent deer habitation.

Groups of three to four wolves each spread out in order to cover a larger area.

_Scat this way._

Someone sent to the pack. They all slowed and headed off in the direction of the signal. Sophia kept looking towards Lucas for what to do. She made sure to stay a little behind him to see all his cues.

_Over there Sophia, by the stream._

She heard Lucas tell her this and she searched with her senses around the area. Soon she spotted a large buck standing cautiously by the stream. No one moved at all while the buck nervously looked around, on the verge of running.

Then ever so slowly, some of the wolves on the end started moving around to the other side of the buck in order to fence it in. The buck seemed to stiffen his legs more and stood very still. Then a slight movement caught the buck's eye and he took off running. Unfortunately for him, he ran straight into the thickest line of wolves.

Sophia watched as all the wolves sprang upon the buck, clamping onto anything they could hold, his legs, neck and muzzle. Some wolves jumped up on his back, clawing and biting as he let out a cry of agony. Sophia was unsure at first as to what she could do, but when she saw the blood start dripping from it's many wounds, her wolven senses over took whatever thoughts she may have had about it. She ran and leapt onto the falling deer clamping on to it's lower neck and she squeezed her jaw shut along with others who had also taken a hold of an area of neck. She didn't let go until the buck gave up it's struggle and lay down to die.

The wolves circled their kill and howled, joyfully congratulating each other on a good hunt. Lucas then stepped up to the buck and tore at the soft innards of his belly, taking his rightful place as first to eat. Then Sean joined him and soon the others made their way to the buck in order of rank. Lucas raised his head to look at Sophia, blood covering his muzzle. She stood back a little ways, unsure of just where her place was in the pack. After all, because of the Rilot, she had never fought for a place.

_Sophia, come next to me._

She made her way to Lucas as others backed away a bit for her to have access to the buck. When she saw the half eaten buck, she did not feel repulsed in the least. She felt her mouth water and the smell of it's warm blood sent her stomach growling for fulfillment. She bent down and tore off a piece for herself, chewing it with joy. It was so good! She tore off more and she heard Lucas's chuckle in her mind.

_I'd knew you'd like it._

When everyone had their fill, they went to the stream and drank deep of the cool, refreshing water. They washed their paws and muzzles and helped to lick the last remaining bits of blood off each other.

Now that they had their bellies full , they ran back towards the lodge, making as much noise as they wished. They howled and yipped and bumped and tumbled into each other. Lucas was right, Sophia thought, this is fun! She looked over at Presley's brown wolf and thought how well she was behaving. She knew that while Lucas was around, Presley wouldn't try anything, and that made her glad that Lucas kept so close to her side.

When they got to the lodge, they all went in single file through the doggy door. Many of the wolves flipped back to human form and laid down near the fire or on a soft place to rest their full bellies. Sophia again was faced with her dilemma. None of them seemed to care about being naked in front of each other and no one was making a big deal about it. Even so, Sophia felt uncomfortable as more and more wolves flipped back into human form. Lucas had flipped as well and bent down to stroke her head with both hands.

He realized her discomfort and knew that she was not use to her own nudity yet. It's time for her to get over this bashful stuff, he thought.

"Come here Sophia, I want to show you something," he said as he started walking away down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Sophia followed him, grateful to get out of the main room of naked teens.

She started to feel nervous when he led her into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She sat back on her haunches and looked up at him.

_What do you want to show me Lucas?_

He sat down at the foot of the bed. "You have to flip in order to see it," he replied.

_Why? I can see just fine._

"Trust me you can't, yet, because what I want you to see is yourself, in your skin."

Sophia looked at him, shocked. He wanted her to stand naked in front of him?

"Sophia, please. It's just me in here. You've got to get over your fear sometime or it may be a real handicap for you. Start with me, an audience of one. Then, if you feel up to it, you can face the others."

Sophia knew he was right. She needed to get over this. If there was any real trouble, she just couldn't find a handy phone booth like Clark Kent. Skinwalkers had to be ready for anything and she did not want to be at a disadvantage.

She turned her back towards Lucas, determined to do this. A part of her was also a little excited about Lucas being there. The whole situation felt scary but sexy at the same time. She flipped into human form but kept her back to Lucas, all the while smiling shyly at the fact that he was staring at her bare butt. She craned her head around to look at him and noticed he was looking in a mirror, off to the side. She looked into the mirror and realized that he could see her front side as well! One of her arms quickly reached over her breasts to hide them while her other hand went to cover her now not so private area.

"You tricked me!" she said in outrage.

Lucas kept staring in the mirror, looking now into her face. There was no hint of teasing or joking in his gaze. Instead he said in all seriousness, "Do you realize how beautiful you are Sophia?"

She searched his eyes for sincerity and began to relax as she felt the truth of his words. He seemed awed by her, almost worshipful.

He slowly stood up and walked towards her, coming to stand behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards the mirror. "I want you to see what I see, Sophia. I want you to see how breathtaking you really are."

He did nothing but stand behind her, looking into the mirror at her eyes that gazed back at him. "Don't look at me Sophia. Look at yourself."

She shifted her gaze to her own face and lowered hereyes to see her body which shewas shielding with her hands. The more she looked, the more wrong it seemed to cover herself up. She swallowed and slowly lowered her arms to her sides. She gazed at her body, realizing that it was a pretty decent body. It was a lot better than her old human one, she thought. Lucas was right, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

She moved her eyes back up to look at his in the mirror and noticed that Lucas now looked at her with pride. He felt her acceptance of herself and he began to smile at her beautiful face. Then she felt his hands clasp hers from behind and he raised her arms out to the side.

"Now you see what I see," he whispered and gave her shoulder a kiss, still looking in her eyes. "To hide yourself, would be like throwing a towel over the Mona Lisa."

She let out a small laugh at that analogy, and brought her hands up, reaching behind her head. She twisted her face back and up as she pulled his head for a kiss. They kissed sweetly for several minutes when Sophia felt his hands glide around her waist, pulling her more securely against him. When his lips began to travel down her throat she caught the view in the mirror and it struck her how erotic this whole situation was becoming.

She moved the backside of her body against him, losing herself in the sensation of his lips traveling down her shoulder. She watched him in the mirror as he suddenly looked up and caught her gaze. His eyes flashed amber. "Sophia," he growled. She could tell he was holding himself back, waiting to see if she would welcome more. She felt the moon's strong influence and her eyes flashed back at him. She wiggled against him more and closed her eyes, sighing with pleasure.

"Open your eyes," he gruffly ordered. Her big brown eyes flew open and watched as his hands began moving over her body. He was so strong and yet so gentle with her. Everywhere he touched sent her nerves spinning and she moaned out, "Lucas!"

Then his hands stilled and his head turned towards the door. Sophia could feel it too. Something had just happened outside. Lucas let go of Sophia and walked towards the door.

"What is it?" Sophia asked in a worried voice as she followed behind him.

"Let's find out," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him. When they left the room Sophia grabbed on to the back of Lucas's arm and used his body to shield hers from full exposure. She wasn't sure she wanted to be so exposed to everyone yet. As soon as they came into the main room they noticed everyone else was standing in alert looking at the front door.

Sean's wolf came bounding through the front doggy door and he skid to a halt, collapsing on the floor, blood matting many places of his fur. Everyone gasped and Lucas ran up to him. Sophia forgot about her nudity in light of seeing Sean so injured.

"Sean!" Lucas called to him, shaking him gently. Sean was panting with exhaustion and pain. He rolled his wolf eye up to look at Lucas.

_Silver Lake… got… Sarah._

Everyone was listening in on Sean's words and fear filled the room. Sophia slumped down and sat on the ground, grasping onto the fur carpet. "Oh no… Sarah." She gave a horrified look up to Lucas and he said, "We'll get her back!"

"Sean, do you hear me? You need to flip and let the females tend your wounds," Lucas ordered. Sean whimpered with the effort but was able to take human form. The effort was too much for himand he fellunconscious.

Lucas looked around at some nearby females and said, "Help him, then get him to flip back to wolf form." Then he turned to the males and said, "Let's go." Every one of them was primed to go. Lucas threw open the front door and they started to follow him across the porch. Suddenly Lucas stopped and held up his arms to prevent the others from continuing.

Their gazes were returned by Silver Lake wolves. They were spread out all across the yard. Lucas did a quick scan and found there were many more in the tree line and surrounding the lodge on all sides. Lucas knew they were way out numbered this time and to walk out there would be suicide.

_Back in now._

Lucas told the males behind him. They backed in, never taking their eyes off the wolves in the yard. Once in, they shut the door and locked it.

"Secure every door and window, now!" he ordered. "Stand the sofas up against the windows in here. Put the mattresses against the windows in the bedrooms and the table against the window in the kitchen. Some of us will have to be in every room, holding these things when they attack."

They all moved to follow his orders. Sophia looked at Lucas and asked, "Can't we call home for help?"

"Cell phones don't work here and we are too far from town for a mental link. We are on our own."

--------------------------------------------------------

**To be continued…**

**Please review this chapter. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Long Night (part 2)**

Sophia heard Lucas's dreaded words, "We are on our own." Never had any words filled her with such fear before. She could also feel the tension surrounding the lodge outside and the predators focusing their energy on their target. Then there was also the worry for Sarah and what could possibly be happening to her at this moment. Everyone was hurrying around her, blockading all possible entries and bracing the barricades with their bodies. Lucas strode from room to room making sure all knew what to do.

Randy came up to Lucas and said, "Lucas? This is a hunting lodge. Think there might be some guns?" Lucas looked at Randy like he was a genius.

"Why didn't I think of that!" Lucas slapped Randy's arm. "Gun cabinet in the basement. Stairs are in the pantry." Randy took off towards the kitchen. Lucas looked towards Sophia who was standing in the middle of the main room, looking frightened. He walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "We'll find a way to get out of this baby."

"I'm so worried about Sarah. Do you think she's … alive?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah, I do. They want females for mates, not to kill," he explained as he petted the back of her head. "Try to link up with her Sophia. She can't be that far away yet."

Lucas put his hands on her shoulders and sent his energy into Sophia to help her link with Sarah. Sophia closed her eyes and focused on Sarah. She had spoken on a mental link with Sarah many times before and so the path was a familiar one.

_Sarah? Sarah? Can you hear me? It's Sophia. Sarah?_

_Sophia?_

Sophia was relieved to get a response, though Sarah sounded scared.

_Sarah? Are you o.k.? Are you hurt?_

_I'm o.k. for now. Oh God, Sophia, I think those others killed Sean. I can't link with him!_

_No! Sean's here. He's hurt but he's alive._

Sophia felt Sarah's immense relief at this news.

_It happened so fast. We went out into the woods, to be alone and a group of them just came out of nowhere. We didn't even sense them. Two of them leapt on me and lay on top, holding me down while they fought with Sean. Sean took off and they chased him and I was sure that they got him. I was so scared for him._

_What about you? Where are you? What's going on?_

_They forced me to go into a hollowed out tree and two wolves are standing guard right outside the hole. We are just east of the lodge, can you help me? I'm scared Sophia._

_I know you are. But we are surrounded by them right now. Hang tight, o.k. _

_O.K. Be careful._

Sophia lost the mind link as Lucas moved off to the approaching Randy. Randy had found three shotguns and a box of bullets. They hardly began to load them when the Silver Lake wolves began their attack. The pounding on the doors and the breaking of glass was heard all around the house and the teens were busy trying to hold on to their barricades. The assault of wolf after wolf came, each time banging with more force. In the bedrooms, the sounds of wolves snarling as they tore at the mattresses through the broken windows could be heard. Lucas looked over at Sophia, "Sophia, help us load these."

Sophia ran up and began loading a shotgun. She knew how to do this and how to use one as well. Even though she only shot at targets with her father at the shooting range, she knew that now she may have to actually kill someone. This thought flew through her mind and she was oddly surprised at how willing she was to kill. This was survival and she knew she would help her pack in any way she could.

"Lucas!" came a shout from a bedroom. Lucas ran into the room and saw that a wolf had managed to squeeze most of his body through the side of the mattress. He took aim and fired, just as the wolf made it through the barricade. Another immediately took it's place and this time Lucas did not hesitate to shoot it in the head before it got too far.

Sophia and Randy had the other two guns and ran up behind Lucas. "Check on all the other rooms," he ordered. They ran off to see where they were needed. Sophia looked behind her shoulder and noticed that Lucas had now stuck his gun through the space left by the invading wolves and was aiming at any others he saw. She decided she would do the same and ran into the main room, sticking her gun between the sofa and the window frame. But when she looked for a target, she noticed that there were none to be found. She looked around and listened. It seemed that the attack had stopped and now all was quiet. The Silver Lake wolves had retreated into the tree line.

Lucas came striding into the main room.

"They are still out there," said Adam. "I can sense them sitting just in the tree line."

"I know," said Lucas. "They didn't count on the guns. They are probably rethinking their strategy."

---------------------------------------------------------

Sherman Blackstone was feeling well satisfied after a little midnight rendezvous with the Widow Hallis. Often, on full moon nights, they ended up relieving some pent up energy with each other. He smiled at her sleeping figure laying next to him and sighed contentedly. "Another satisfied customer," he laughed to himself.

Thinking of mating, brought him to thoughts of his meeting with Lucas Cates. Lucas had stopped by his cabin before heading over to Sophia's house this evening. Sherman was wondering if Cates had gotten Sophia to hold the disk. He chuckled to himself thinking about all the trouble that little disk might be stirring up right now. What if all the other teens got a hold of it as well? Oh boy, he thought, I wish I was a fly on the wall over at that lodge tonight!

This thought gave him yet another idea. None of the pack were aware of all of Sherman's abilities, especially his ability to know things that happened in which he wasn't present for. They didn't know about his ability to spirit travel. This ability wasn't unheard of in the world. Humans had labeled it astral traveling or the out-of-body experience.

Sherman decided he would satisfy his curiosity about the teens tonight. With a last glance at the sleeping widow, he shut his eyes and relaxed his body, willing it to fall asleep while keeping his mind alert and aware. He was very adept at this and soon found his spirit lifting through the physical mass of his body and up through the ceiling of the widow's house. Into the night sky he soared. He could have willed himself there instantly, but he rather enjoyed the feeling of flight and soon shot out past the outskirts of town into the night, towards the Cates hunting lodge.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Presley came into the main room, abandoning her post in the kitchen. "Lucas? What do we do now? They are not attacking anymore."

As she spoke, another sound was heard. There were foot steps approaching the lodge outside the front. They all grew quiet as they heard someone coming up the porch steps and sitting on the hanging swing. The creaking sound of the swinging chain began.

Adam glanced through a crack in the barricaded window. "It's Nathan."

_Come out and speak with me Cates._

Lucas heard Nathan's voice in his head and looked around at the others in the room. Randy now came into the room with his gun.

"I'm going out to talk, shoot anything else that moves around us," Lucas said, knowing that Nathan could hear him and would not order an ambush.

Lucas handed his gun to Stephen and stepped out onto the porch. He glared at Nathan who sat gently rocking himself on the swing as if he were on a holiday.

"Nice place you have here Lucas," he began.

"Three of your wolves are dead and you are next if you don't return Sarah to us safely and get the hell out of our territory," Lucas said in a deadly voice.

"Ah now there's the rub. The pretty little Sarah, you say she is called, is now ours. Here's the deal I have for you. Give us five more of the females you have inside there and we will let the rest of you live."

Lucas gave a wicked glare, "Just how stupid are you? If you take any of our females, whether you kill us or not, do you think the rest of our pack will do nothing about it? They will over run Silver Lake and slay every last one of you. You may have us outnumbered at this lodge, but there is no way you can outnumber the whole Wolf Lake pack."

Nathan sat in silence for a moment, a smirk on his face. Then he said, "Your mother is alpha?"

"For now," said Lucas.

"We see that as a big weakness. I'm sure there are others in your pack that feel that way too. If we kill you tonight, all will see that their female leader has no successor. Perhaps others will be convinced of my father's leadership when this happens."

"Dream on, back woods boy. That will never happen. Now give us Sarah back and I may be able to convince the pack not to retaliate for this trespassing you have done."

The sound of the shotgun hitting the side of the window pane, caught Nathan's attention. "You would shoot me during negotiations? You have no honor."

"Oh and abducting females is an honorable thing to do?" Lucas glared.

"Fighting for mates is a very old custom. But your pack has forgotten it's roots with all the mingling with humans that you do. Your females will be happy when they are finally with real males. Ones that can give them what they really crave and keep their bellies full of pups."

Lucas felt his anger cresting and clenched his fists hard as he said, "Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," smiled Nathan.

"Then let's settle this now, just me and you. If I win, you give Sarah back and never step foot again on Wolf Lake territory," Lucas offered through clenched teeth.

Nathan's eyes gleamed at the possibilities. "And if I win?"

Lucas was caught. What could he possibly promise? He couldn't give up the females. "Then this battle continues, without me, cause my pack will never give you females willingly."

Nathan laughed. "That does not sound like a very fair deal. But getting rid of you would definitely lower the spirits of the other males." Nathan sat still, thinking it over. "It's a deal. I must confer with my pack. We will meet out here in ten minutes."

Nathan stood and walked down the porch steps. Lucas waited a few moments and then turned to go back into the house.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sherman awoke suddenly from his spirit travel. He sat up quickly in bed swinging his legs over the side and heading for the telephone on the nightstand. The widow opened her eyes and said, "What is it? Why did you jump up like that?"

"Trouble," was all he said as he dialed Vivian's number.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Matt was driving around the corner on his way to a call from the bowling alley. Some drunk was making trouble for everyone. He was pulling up in the parking lot of the bowling alley when a signal went off in his mind. It was a distress signal, a strong one, and then he heard Vivian's voice asking for all able bodied skin walkers to meet outside the church immediately, the teens were under attack.

Matt felt his stomach do a summersault as he flipped on the ignition switch and tore out of the parking lot. The bowling alley manager would just have to deal with the drunk himself, he thought. Sophia is in danger! He wanted to head out at full speed towards the lodge where the teens were, but he knew the logic of arriving as a pack. Together they were strong, together they had a chance. He prayed that they would be on time to stop anything bad from happening.

"Oh god, Sophia. Please be alright!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas had just walked back in to find Presley flying at him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Oh Lucas, please don't go out there again," she sobbed. Lucas stiffly hugged her back and then took her arms away from his waist. He nodded at Randy who quickly put his arm around the sobbing Presley and led her to a corner to sit down.

He looked across the room and saw Sophia watching him with a look of despair. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the forehead. Then he turned to everyone in the room. "I need you all to listen carefully." They had already heard everything that went on outside and now they stood in fear of what may happen to Lucas.

"I don't know if they'll hold up their end of the bargain. They may not. All I need to do is kill Nathan and that will dishearten their Alpha. I want all of you to be ready for anything. Protect yourselves at all costs."

"Why risk yourself if they won't keep the bargain anyway?" asked Stephen.

"Because they just may keep it and we may get Sarah back without anymore blood being spilled, besides Nathan's that is."

Lucas then looked at Sophia and took her hand. He led her back into the bathroom, the only room without anyone in it. She was trembling at the thought of Lucas going out into a death match. Nathan was older than Lucas, but Lucas was strong for his age. She did not know what would come of it.

Tears started rolling down Sophia's cheek as Lucas stood studying her face. "Lucas…" she sobbed.

"Shhh…" he said as he put one finger gently on her lips. "I need to tell you something." She looked at him and waited. "I want you to know that I'm falling in love with you Sophia Donner."

Tears now fell freely from her eyes as she rushed into his embrace, holding him tightly, taking in the smell of his unique scent, moving her hands along his back to feel him. She wanted to memorize every detail of Lucas and keep this moment implanted in her soul forever. She could hear his heart hammering in his chest and she raised her face to look up into his eyes. His intense gaze bore down into her eyes and their lips quickly melded together, taking all that the other had to offer.

Sophia felt a passion building inside of her and a conviction. She broke the kiss and grabbed Lucas's face between her two hands.

"You must win, Lucas Cates! You have to win! Win for me, for us, for the life that can be ours!" she said desperately. She looked deep into his eyes and sent whatever energy she could muster. She poured her faith and love into him and saw Lucas start to glow with a power that she never witnessed before. He drunk in the energy she was sending him and he started to feel invincible, even his body seemed to fill out with an unnatural power.

Then he spoke to her in a voice that seemed to echo with power, "I will win. And when I do, you will be mine forever." Sophia felt the conviction of his words, words so powerful that seemed to seep into the very bones of her body. It felt like that little bathroom would explode with the amount of energy it had to contain in there right now.

She went with an instinct and pulled her hair to one side, closing her eyes she bent her neck sideways. Then she felt his vise-like grip come around her whole body as he sank his teeth into her tender flesh. She gasp with the pain-pleasure she felt as her body melted into his. She belonged to him and nothing felt more true to her at that moment. He lapped at the blood he drew, reveling in the taste of Sophia.

Lucas gave Sophia's bite one last closing lick and stepped back to gaze at her one more time. She straightened herself and stood tall, staring back at him with confidence. He knew in his heart that Sophia was his mate and he needed no disk to tell him that.

He heard the others in the main room saying that Nathan had returned and stood waiting for Lucas. With a last smile at Sophia he said, "I will return," and he turned and strode into the main room.

All the others watched with wonder as Lucas walked into their midst. Power emanated from his every pour and he looked every inch the Alpha. Suddenly they were filled with a new hope and a confidence that their leader could win.

Lucas stood gazing at each of them, feeling their fear turn to hope. This fueled his confidence and energy level even more and he transformed easily into his wolf. Randy put his hand on the door knob, his breath coming quickly in anticipation of the battle to come. He opened the door and watched with pride as his leader went to meet the enemy.

----------------------------------------------------------

**To be continued…**

**Please send me your thoughts. I love hearing from you all! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Yes, it's Chapter 16 again, but I was unhappy with the fight scene (having typed the original late at night) and I wanted to revise it a bit. Chapter 17 will be up shortly. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16 The Long Night (part 3)**

Vivian had quickly organized the pack members who had shown up at the church in answer to her distress signal. She had decided they would drive most of the way so that they would not be too worn out for battle when they arrived at the lodge. She had a very large turn out of pack members and was pleased to see so many unified under this cause.

Most surprising of all was the appearance of Tyler Creed and Buddy Hooks. On her way into Matt's truck she paused at the passing Tyler.

"This is a surprise. I'd have thought you'd like to see Lucas harmed."

Tyler grinned at her and said, "I would never pass up this opportunity for a good fight Viv. Besides, I'm part of this pack and I don't relish the idea of a whole generation of us being wiped out in one night."

Vivian lifted a questioning eyebrow then turned to settle herself next to Matt. "Let's go!" All the vehicles left in a hurry, following each other west as fast as they could safely go.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas's gray wolf stepped out onto the porch, took a look at the full moon which was clearly visible and let out a long howl. It was a howl of an Alpha and the Silver Lake wolves sitting in the tree line shifted there feet nervously. There was something about Lucas that set him apart from Nathan, something that made them unsure of tonight's outcome.

Nathan's black wolf stood it's ground ten feet away from the bottom of the porch stairs. He showed no fear outwardly, but inwardly a flicker of uncertainty struck him when he saw the aura of strength in which Lucas held himself. What had Lucas done with those last ten minutes? What magic was this?

Randy walked out in human form behind Lucas and took a position on the porch with his gun at the ready. "Anyone other than Nathan or Lucas, who comes into this yard, will be shot," Randy announced loudly. "There will be no interfering with this match."

The sofa had been pulled away from the front window and the teens had gathered to watch the fight. The gray wolf looked towards the window and locked eyes with Sophia. Nathan saw this and knew instantly that this female was important to Lucas

_Very pretty, Lucas. Once you are dead, I will take her for my mate._

Nathan taunted Lucas, hoping to goad him into making rash decisions. Lucas said nothing but turned to look at Nathan, his confidence and power pulsating in the night air. Then he leapt off the top of the porch, over the stairs and landed a few feet from Nathan who had jumped back and started growling and snapping at Lucas. Lucas circled around him while Nathan turned his wolf body around, making sure to always be facing Lucas.

Suddenly Lucas jumped at Nathan and the wolves met on their hind legs, using their fore legs to scratch and smack as their jaws tried to clamp down on anything they could get of each other. Nathan was truly worried now as he felt just how strong Lucas really was. He had never found a wolf in his own pack that could beat him in a fight and now here was this seventeen year old throwing off his weight and making him lose his edge.

He pushed away from Lucas and trotted a little away to circle back again as he thought of his next move. This was not going to be as easy as he had thought it would be and he felt his confidence starting to fail. Already Lucas had hooked a tooth on his side and he felt the pain of that injury acutely.

_You have some strength, Lucas. But I have never been beaten before._

Nathan taunted Lucas as he circled around Lucas this time, looking for a perfect place to strike. Lucas followed him with his eyes and body, ready for Nathan's move. The black wolf lunged and snapped at his front paw, but Lucas was able to pull it away before he tightened his jaw. Nathan did manage to scrape his teeth along his foreleg a bit and Lucas felt his blood starting to tickle. He did not focus on any pain he was feeling because he was completely focused on his target.

Again both wolves lunged at each other and Lucas ducked his head as he charged, putting it under Nathan's chest and then lifting the black wolf slightly off his feet, he flung Nathan onto his side. Nathan felt a sharp jab of pain on the side of his ribs as he landed on a large, sharp stone. He quickly rolled away as he noticed Lucas coming for him again. The moment he got to his feet his instinct was to run for his life and he started to move. Lucas pounced down on his lower back and grabbed at his sides with his claws, ripping the fur and flesh of the black wolf. Nathan howled in pain and shock.

Nathan managed to get away from Lucas's grip and stood bleeding and panting as he looked around at the faces of his watching pack. He knew he couldn't give up, he couldn't run away from this. He must take this to it's final outcome, whatever that may be.

Lucas gave Nathan no time to rest or to think. He bounded towards him and leapt on top, knocking Nathan over and sending them both rolling with fangs grabbing at each other. Lucas came out on top and sunk his teeth deep into Nathan's throat. Nathan tried to struggle out of Lucas's grip, but the younger wolf was just too strong and he felt his own strength seeping out of the wound in his neck. Lucas did not release the black wolf's neck until he could no longer hear the beat of Nathan's heart.

When finally he looked up, he let out another powerful howl and the teens in the lodge cheered, hugging each other with joy. Sophia stood at the window, gripping the edge, pride filling every part of her as she looked at Lucas in his triumph. He flipped back to human form, breathing heavily, Nathan's blood covering his mouth and neck, and looked up at her.

Just then a Silver Lake wolf came shuffling forward from the trees, it's head bowed in submission. Randy lifted the gun but Lucas held out his arm to signal Randy not to shoot. The Silver Lake wolf flipped and knelt before Lucas. "You are truly meant to be Alpha. Nathan had told us not to honor the deal, that we should attack even if he falls. We will not do so. Nathan has made many bad decisions and we are glad that he will no longer become our Alpha when his father dies. We will return your female to you and then we will leave." He flipped back into wolf form as he trotted away into the trees.

Lucas stood in place, waiting to make sure that the Silver Lake wolves were really moving off. The teens in the house wanted to run outside and congratulate him, but they heard him say, "Wait!" as they were piling out the front door. They stopped and waited until the sounds of the Silver Lake wolves began to fade more and more.

Lucas then turned to them, a grin on his face. "Time to party!"

They cheered and howled as they ran over to him, wanting to touch him, their fearless leader. Lucas reached through the crowd and found Sophia's hand. He pulled her through the bodies crowded around him and pressed her possessively against his side, wrapping an arm around her. Sophia felt star struck as she looked at his smiling face. He smiled at her and said, "It was all for you, baby." He kissed her deeply, drawing cheers from the others.

Sarah came trotting through the trees, flipping when she saw the teens. "Sarah!" yelled Sophia. She broke away from Lucas and the crowd and ran to hug her friend. "You o.k.?"

"Yeah, how's Sean?" Sarah asked.

Sophia took her hand, "Come on." She led Sarah into the house and to Sean who was resting on the fur rug in front of the fire. Sarah knelt down and gently put her hands on his arm.

Sean opened one eye and peered at her. "Hey" , he managed to rasp out.

Sarah laughed with joy and bent down to give him a kiss on his cheek.

Sophia stood up straight as she felt the teens outside become alert and wary. She went back out to the porch and heard the sound of wolves running towards them from the west, a large number of them. Fear returned and she quickly looked at Lucas who stood staring in the direction of the noise. Then she noticed a smile forming on his face and he said, "It's our own. Wolf Lake to the rescue," he laughed.

"A little slow getting here aren't they?" Stephen commented. The adults became visible as they bounded into the front yard. They paced around the teens, looking for signs of trouble, sniffing the dead wolves, before flipping into their human forms.

Matt's wolf had bounded up the porch steps and flipped right next to Sophia. 

"Dad?" Sophia said, "What's up?" She pretended that nothing was wrong, that she didn't just have her life in danger.

Matt grabbed onto her arms, "Sophia? Are you alright?" He looked her over for any injuries

"I'm fine Dad. Sean is the only one hurt." Matt looked inside the door where Sophia had just pointed. He walked in to take a look at Sean and noticed the guns laying around and the general chaos of the house.

Meanwhile in the front yard, Vivian had walked up before Lucas.

"Luke? What happened here? Is Silver Lake gone?"

Lucas smiled at her. "We handled it Mom." Vivian could sense that plenty had happened and she knew she would get the details out of Lucas soon enough. The important thing was that everyone in her pack was alive and counted for.

They looked over at Tyler who was pushing at Nathan's dead carcass with his foot. It was obvious that Lucas made this kill by the blood evidence on Lucas's face. "Good job Cates," Tyler said. "Nathan, eh? Not a bad kill for a pup." Tyler could see the admiration for Lucas on the faces of the others. It didn't please him at all.

"Well, shall we finish them before they get too far?" asked Buddy anxiously. He eyes glowed with the thought of slaughter.

"No," said Lucas. "They kept their bargain."

Tyler looked at Vivian with a look that said he would not take orders from a boy. Everyone waited to hear what Vivian would say.

Vivian looked at Lucas, who stood not as a boy tonight, but as a man. "It will be as Lucas says," she replied. She looked over at Lucas and Lucas gazed back at his mother. This was the first time she had given him some authority before the pack. He shifted his gaze to Tyler, giving him a slight smirk. Tyler just looked away, shaking his head in disbelief. He had also looked away for another reason and he didn't want Lucas to see what was in his mind. If Lucas could kill Nathan, then he probably could kill him as well. Buddy walked up to Tyler, trying to study his face for what to do. Tyler turned away from Buddy as well. "Let's just get out of here!" Tyler snapped at his friend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost dawn and Vivian had asked the teens to stay and clean up the lodge the best they could. She would have to order new windows and mattresses as well as a new sofa, she sighed. Well, at least they had this place to protect them, she thought, it could have ended up much worse if they hadn't.

Sean's parents had taken him back to town and were going to stop by Sherman's cabin to have him checked out completely. It did seem that his wounds were no longer bleeding and beginning to heal, but he was still very weak.

Matt had insisted that Sophia come back to town with him so she could get some rest. When Lucas noticed that she was leaving, he strode over to her and swept her into his arms. Matt stood there watching, not sure what to do. He was witnessing their very passionate kiss right in front of him. One side of him felt like pulling Sophia away from Lucas, but the other side of him could see that those two felt a lot for each other. Matt looked away and caught Vivian's gaze from across the yard. Vivian gave him a slight smile.

_There is one Donner who isn't afraid to love._

Matt heard Vivian's words and broke eye contact with her. He cleared his throat and said, "Sophia, honey, we need to get going." Sophia pulled her head slightly away from Lucas and said, "I'll see you at church." Lucas gave her one more quick kiss and said, "Yeah." He watched her walk off with her Dad, smiling whenever she turned around to look back at him.

When Sophia was out of sight, Vivian walked up to Lucas's side. "Is she your choice then?" It was plain to her that Lucas's feelings for Sophia ran deep. Anyone who saw those two together could sense that strongly.

Lucas turned his head to his mom's gaze. "Choice? Some things are meant to be. This is one of them."

Vivian studied Lucas's face. He was so sure of himself already at this young age. She felt a thrill inside to see the strength of her son blossoming so strongly. Perhaps she wouldn't have to be Alpha for as long as she thought she would. Perhaps Lucas would be ready sooner than she thought, she pondered. She never wanted this job in the first place but had only accepted to save Lucas and to insure that he would someday succeed his father as Alpha. When she was free of this responsibility, she could pursue her own happiness again. Her thoughts turned to Mathew Donner.

Inside the lodge the teens were busy sweeping and putting things back in order. With Mrs. Cates just outside they made sure to get things done as quickly as possible.

Presley was moving a pile of folded blankets over to one side when an old leather satchel fell out of the folds. She set down the blankets and picked it up, curious as to what was inside the old bag. She pulled out an old metal disk that had many ancient runes stamped on it surrounding a green stone in the middle. She turned it over, this way and that, wondering what it could be.

Randy was sweeping up glass when he glanced over at Presley, holding the disk. "What's that?" he asked as he set the broom down and walked over to her. He raised his hand to take it from her and check it out. As soon as he grasped it, the green stone began to glow brightly. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he took it. As soon as Presley released it, the glowing stopped. He shook it a couple of times but it wouldn't light up for him.

Lucas came walking in the door at that moment and stopped in his tracks when he saw what Randy was holding. He had forgotten all about that disk. "Hey, where did you find that?" he asked.

"It fell out of these blankets," Presley told him. "It looks really old, but the green stone glows."

Lucas opened his eyes wide, "It glowed? Show me."

"I've been trying to make it glow again, but I can't!" Randy explained as he shook it again.

Lucas walked closer to them. "I've an idea. Why don't you both hold it at the same time?"

Presley shrugged and grasped on to the side of the disk, again the green stone glowed brightly.

"I guess it takes two people to make it glow!" smiled Randy. "How did you know that Lucas?"

Lucas looked from one to the other and smiled widely. This was just too rich! Randy and Presley! But then a thought hit him. What if this thing would work for anyone and was just some big prank of Sherman's.

"Hold up," said Lucas. "Let go Randy and let me try to hold it with Presley." Randy let go and he grabbed on. The stone would not light. Relief struck him.

Randy smiled at him. "Guess you don't have the magic touch dude!" He grasped on to the disk again with Presley and watched it glow.

"Guess not," he smiled at them both. He was fighting with himself as to whether he should tell them what it meant. He felt bursting with this secret. When he looked over at Presley, he felt her disappointment with his choice of Sophia and she was still upset about it. He looked away and decided that this would not be the right day to tell her that Randy was her mate. "It belongs to Sherman. Here, I'll take it back to him." He picked up the leather bag and opened it for them to return it. Then he drew the drawstrings tight as he gave Randy a knowing look.

"What?" ask Randy.

Lucas shook his head and smirked, "Some other time man."


	17. Chapter 17

**Thought it would be fun to focus on another side of Sophia in this chapter. Hope you like it. Let me know.**

**Chapter 17: Urges**

Sophia was fresh out of the shower and deciding what she would wear to church today. It was a good thing that Vivian had rescheduled the church service for one o'clock this afternoon, because it had given Sophia some time to take a small nap and a long shower. She was feeling so much different today than usual and she didn't quite know what it was. She looked at her nude body in her full length mirror and remembered the mirror from last night.

She thought about Lucas standing behind her, touching her, and how wonderful it felt. Sophia now wrapped her arms about her waist and sighed as she thought of Lucas. She backed up and fell down on her bed, smiling. "I don't think I'll be a virgin much longer," she said to herself and giggled. Thinking about Lucas made her heart beat so fast. He was so good looking and strong and powerful, she mused. And the best thing of all is that he loves me, she thought as she hugged herself with joy. "Mrs. Sophia Cates," she said aloud, trying the name out.

A knock on the door startled her out of her dreaming. "Honey, are you about ready to go?" said Matt through the closed door.

"Almost," she called back, springing from the bed to her closet. She chose a short little sundress, knowing how nice the weather should be today. The material was soft and breezy and it made her feel sexy. In fact she was feeling very sexy, she thought as she moved her hands over her stomach. She sighed as she thought about Lucas again and she wished he was standing behind her now as she looked in the mirror. She wanted to feel his hands lifting…

"Sophia!" Matt interrupted her thoughts. "Time to go." His voice came from downstairs and she grabbed her brush to finish her hair in the truck.

As Sophia and Matt left the front door, Sophia noticed Scott walking up towards her front gate. He smiled a nervous smile at her and stopped, waiting for her to come out of the gate.

Sophia smiled at him and approached, noting how he smelled of soap and a scent that was uniquely his own. It was also a scent of human that any skin walker could pick up on. It was not unpleasant to her senses and she stepped closer to him than usual to breath it in.

"Hi," said Scott as he backed up a bit from Sophia's closeness. "Can we talk for a minute?" Scott could see that there was something different about Sophia. Why was she trying to stand so close? She seemed like some sort of sex kitten trying to cuddle up with him. He took another step back. How was he suppose to break off the prom date with her doing this? And her Dad was standing right there!

She lifted her big brown eyes from the vein in his neck to his face, "I'm on my way to church," she said. Sophia glanced at her Dad.

"Just a few minutes, we've got to be going," Matt said as he passed them and made his way to the truck.

"Um… Sophia…" he began, nervously. She stepped closer to him again.

"Yes?" she said.

Scott took another step back. He had never seen Sophia like this before. Dreamt about her being like this, yes, but never in reality.

"I'm going to have to call off the prom thing. I don't think it's a good idea considering your… other… guy." She was again stepping closer, sniffing him as he spoke.

She looked at him thinking that he must have found out about Lucas somehow. His breaking this date didn't even affect her as she really didn't care one way or the other. If she wasn't going with Lucas to the prom, then she had no desire to go at all.

"O.K" she smiled at him. He looked a bit shocked at her flip response.

"That's all? O.K.? That's all you want to say?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "but I'd like to give you a hug too," she laughed. He stood there confused as she put her arms around him and hugged him tight, inhaling his human scent once more. He did not hug her back and stood there stiffly. Sophia let go and smiled at him. "It's o.k. Scott. I understand, really. We can still be friends can't we?"

He loosened up a bit and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, of course. I hope he treats you right Sophia." He was thinking of Randy and he remembered seeing Randy with many different girls. Inside he felt that Randy would really end up hurting Sophia. "Well, see you around."

He walked away and Sophia watched him for a moment. She didn't feel attracted to him as a guy. She was attracted to the scent, the human scent, and she realized now why. She was now a predator and by instinct, humans were prey. She shook her head to clear that thought and got quickly into the truck.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas and Sophia sat next to each other at church with Matt and Vivian on either side of them. They held hands and listened to the pastor's words, thanking the ancestors for the outcome of last night. The news had now spread of how easily Lucas had taken down Nathan and the skin walkers now looked at the young Alpha with new eyes. It boded well for the future of the pack to have a strong Alpha that could have the respect of other packs as well as their own.

Sophia kept glancing over at Lucas, her leg pressed against his, feeling so proud of him and it made her desire him all the more. She had never felt so ready before and she found it hard to concentrate on anything else being said.

Lucas could feel Sophia's desire and it was distracting him greatly, although he tried to look interested in the sermon as he felt many people watching him today. Something else distracted him as well. He could smell ungulate all over Sophia and he wondered who Sophia had come in contact with.

_Let's go for a walk after this is over._

He projected this to her and felt her squeeze his hand in response.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After the service, Lucas had grabbed a blanket from the back of his car and they set off into the woods. Sophia held onto his arm, stroking his bicep as she walked next to him. She enjoyed touching his body and feeling it's strength and she began to think of what she would like to be doing with him.

Lucas heard her soft growl as they walked to a nice place to sit. He knew Sophia was getting aroused and he started to smell her musk. She was coming into her feminine power, Lucas thought as he spread the blanket on the ground. Now that she was accepting who she was, she was finding the joy of arousing the males. It was a natural thing to happen. Lucas had witnessed it many times with other females who had discovered how much power they held over the males when it came to their sexuality. Normally he would be half way to heaven by now, but the smell of an ungulate male on her body was bringing on a bit of anger.

Sophia lay down on the blanket and stretched her body in a full stretch with her arms over her head. This brought her dress up a little higher and Lucas found her extremely hard to resist. He lay down next to her and swung one leg over both her legs while he rested on his side propping his head up with one arm to look at her. His other arm went over her waist, trapping her where she lay. She did not mind in the least, however, as she softened her gaze to his face and gave him a sultry smile. Her hand started stroking his arm again and she said, "Mmmm Lucas, I love how you feel."

"Who else were you feeling today Sophia?" he asked seriously.

"What are you talking about?" she said as she continued stroking his arm and not quite seeing how upset he was.

"I smell human male on you. Who was it Sophia?" he said with a little more force.

She looked at his face now, starting to understand. "Oh… it was… you

know… Scott." She knew she couldn't lie to him but she was afraid of his reaction.

He just stared at her as if he was trying to control his anger. She wouldn't run to that human boy just because she was horny, would she? Why the hell would she chose to go to an ungulate and not him? His head was a kaleidoscope of all these thoughts and he felt a knot of anger forming in his gut.

Sophia could see the change in Lucas now and she grew worried. "He came by this morning, before we left for church. He broke off our date for the prom," Sophia tried to quickly explain before things got out of hand.

"So you gave him a little parting gift?" Lucas growled out.

Sophia opened her eyes wide. How could he think that of her? She tried to push his arm off of her but he kept it there like an iron clamp.

"No! It was just a hug! I wanted us to be friends still and I gave him a hug!" she said, feeling her anger rising as well.

Lucas looked into her mind, finding the images he needed to see. He could see now that she was telling the truth. It was just a hug, but it bothered him none the less. Sophia knew that he had found her memories but she was still angry that he didn't trust her in the first place.

"Are you happy now?" she snapped at him. "Why don't you just get off me," she tried struggling again, "I need to go stand on my street corner and whore myself out."

Lucas lay his forehead down on her shoulder and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry baby. I just can't stand to smell another guy on you. It makes me crazy."

She stopped struggling, feeling her anger leaving a little with his apology. "Well this whole conversation has really ruined my mood! I was hoping that… well… never mind."

Lucas quickly lifted his head and looked in her eyes. "You were hoping what?" he asked quickly. He knew already what it was by the way she had been acting earlier and he had hoped his little jealous fit hadn't ruined it. His hand around her waist had now moved up to the top of her stomach and he began to give her soft caresses.

"Nothing… the mood is gone," she pouted.

Lucas bent his head into the crook of her neck, giving her tender skin soft kisses and little nips. "Are you sure it's gone?" he whispered onto her neck. Sophia sucked in her breath and closed her eyes.

She was just about be begin musking again when he stopped and sat up. "Well, I guess another time then," he teased. Sophia growled and pulled him down roughly to her with both arms, bringing his lips down upon hers. They kissed hungrily for several minutes until Lucas pulled his face away to look at Sophia who was flushed and breathing hard.

"Baby, I'm not trying to ruin the moment or anything but I want your first time to be gentle and as long as you smell like that ungulate I'm afraid I might get rough. You have no idea how much it affects me," he told her in all seriousness.

Sophia lay staring up at him, trying to understand. She didn't think Scott's smell was unpleasant. She tried to imagine how she would feel if Lucas had a female's scent on him and she didn't like the feeling that brought up at all. She sighed heavily trying to get her hormones under control.

He stood up and held his hand out to her to help her up. She felt disappointed at how the afternoon turned out. Mental note to myself, she thought, don't touch any males if I want to have sex with Lucas.

She grabbed his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"O.K.," she pouted. "I'll go home and shower. But I may not be in the mood later. You snooze, you lose." She whirled around, her long hair hitting him in the face, and walked off back towards the church. Lucas just smiled as he gathered up the blanket.

"Soon, sweetie, I promise you that," he said to her retreating backside.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas had dropped her off at her house promising to meet her at the rave tonight. He told her he would be late getting there as this was Sunday night, the night in which he always met with Ruby.

Now he was driving through the town on his way back up the hill when he spotted Scott coming out of the drug store. Anger flared up inside of him and he couldn't help himself as he pulled the car over to the curb. He hopped out of the car and strode angrily across the street never taking his eyes off his target.

Scott turned his head and saw Lucas coming at him and knew that he was in trouble by the look on his face. He put his hands up and said, "Hey… I didn't do…" Lucas did not give him time to talk but had put his hand on Scott's chest and pushed him back against the wall of the store front. Scott could not believe how strong Lucas was to be able to pin him to the wall with one hand like that. He remembered how Lucas had also thrown him across a parking lot before, on that date with Sophia. None of this seemed natural and he grew more frightened by the look on Lucas's face and the way his teeth seemed longer somehow as he looked Scott over.

"Never… ever… go near Sophia Donner again," Lucas growled. "Got that? You don't go to her house, you don't talk to her at school, and you definitely don't hug or touch her in any way. Is that clear?"

Scott's heart was pounding in fear as he felt in great danger. The hand on his chest now had very sharp nails protruding through the material of his shirt. "Yes, I understand," he said quickly, trying not to shake with the terror he was feeling. Cates didn't seem human! God! What the hell was he?

Lucas put his hand down. "Good," he simply said and walked off to his car, trying to get himself under control again. That was stupid of me, he thought, showing myself like that. Damn! Oh well, if Scott becomes a threat to the pack, he'd be dealt with, like all the others were.

--------------------------------------------------------

**Please send me a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or I guess that would be read your thoughts. LOL**

**Happy Holidays everyone!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: A Lesson Learned**

A knock sounded on the door of the Donner residence and Sophia hurried down the stairs to answer. It was Sarah, as she had expected.

"Are you ready?" Sarah asked when Sophia came to the door. She looked at her friend more closely and started to get concerned. Sophia's face was flushed and she seemed more anxious than usual.

"Ready," answered Sophia, grabbing a light jacket in case it got colder tonight. Sarah had borrowed her dad's car for the evening and the two of them planned on going to the rave together since Lucas was going to be busy with Ruby for awhile.

Sarah took a closer look at Sophia's face under the porch light. "Are you feeling o.k.?" she asked Sophia.

Sophia let out a small laugh. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, you just look kind of warm or something." Sarah put the back of her hand on Sophia's forehead.

"I'm fine, you worry wart. Let's go." Sophia started down the walkway towards the car. Sarah didn't move.

"Sophia, your running a temperature!"

Sophia turned around and rolled her eyes. "I'm feeling fine, Sarah! In fact I feel like I have lots of energy to burn. I want to dance, so let's go!"

Sarah took a few steps towards her and asked cautiously, "Sophia? Have you like… been really… horny lately?"

Sophia's mouth fell open. "What a thing to ask Sarah! What's it to you?"

"Sophia, I think your going into heat." Sarah stated. "I did last summer, so I know what I'm talking about."

Sophia stood and just stared at Sarah. "Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not. Once a year you run a temperature for about a week and you get really, really horny."

"So what does that mean? Can I get pregnant in human form?" Sophia worried. She was hoping to get close to Lucas tonight but she didn't want to get pregnant!

"No, you still need to be in your wolf for that, thank goodness! But it might not be a good idea for you to go to the rave without Lucas around. Maybe we should just wait awhile before we go." Sarah looked very concerned.

Sophia thought that the whole idea was ridiculous. "Oh come on Sarah, do you think I'm going to jump on the first guy I see?"

"My parents made me stay home for a week and it was tough! I did manage to sneak Stephen in through the window though," Sarah shyly admitted.

"Stephen?" smiled Sophia.

"Yeah, that was last summer though. We haven't been together for awhile now."

"Well, I'm not staying home. I really want to get out of here. Come on Sarah!" she grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her the rest of the way to the car.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas approached the white wolf sitting on the pier and sat down next to it. "Hey Ruby."

_Hi Lucas. You've had a busy week I hear._

"Yeah, I'm sorry about your cousin," Lucas said, looking down at the water. "It was him or me."

_I understand. And I didn't really know him that well anyway so don't worry about that. It sounds like you did that pack a favor._

"So they said," Lucas agreed.

_I'm really glad you are alright. Tyler was a bit upset about the outcome though._

Lucas could hear Ruby's soft laughter in his head. She liked it when Tyler felt thwarted.

"How are things with you? You holding up alright?"

_Same as usual. I hear you did Rilot to Sophia and that you two are getting pretty close._

Lucas couldn't help but smile when Sophia was mentioned. "Yeah, you could say that," he mused.

_Really? That's great Lucas! I've always liked her. _

They sat quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

_I wish Dad would have performed Rilot for Lloyd._

Lucas looked over at his sister. She had so much to deal with all the time. He had wished things could have turned out different for her as well.

Lucas thought back to Lloyd, Ruby's childhood friend. He was a runt and had a limp but his heart was as big as a mountain. Nobody had thought he would survive his first flip, but with Ruby's help he did. He was her best friend and confidante. Many had scorned him for his weakness and none more than Tyler, but Ruby had always stuck up for him.

Unfortunately, Ruby also had an attraction to danger and Tyler Creed was just the sort the young Ruby desired. She spent her wild teen years with Tyler and everyone assumed they would be mated someday. Tyler resented the time Ruby would spend talking to Lloyd and tragedy final struck when Tyler killed Lloyd in a jealous fit while he was drunk. That's when Ruby ran off to Seattle and met John Kanin.

Lucas now thought of Ruby's words and how different things would have been if his dad had protected Lloyd. Tyler would have been punished severely and Ruby would not have been forced to marry him. Lucas still did not know why Tyler hadn't been punished at all for what happened. No one would ever explain that to him.

"I'm sorry for the way things have turned out for you Ruby," Lucas said to her now. "I know you don't want to hear this, but it will be better when Kanin leaves. You can come out of hiding and be a part of the community again. I've got to give some credit to the guy though. He's sure stuck around longer than anyone thought he would."

Ruby didn't respond and Lucas could sense her sadness at the whole situation.

"Your needed here Ruby, you know that. You really willing to leave all these kids without hope?"

_Don't say that Lucas! I realize that already! I've come to accept that my own happiness doesn't count for much around here. _

Lucas didn't know what to say except to apologize some more. He wanted her to be happy, but as the future Alpha, he also knew that the welfare of the pack would be infinitely better with Ruby around to help the teens flip. He knew she never forgot about Amanda, their sister, who had died when she couldn't flip successfully. Ruby knew how painful it was to lose a loved one.

"Maybe you can be happy Ruby, if you give it a chance. Perhaps if you had your own pups to care for…" Lucas tried to console.

_I don't want to think about that yet. Let's change the subject. I want to hear all about last night._

"O.k." Lucas agreed, happy to get off the other topic. He went quickly into the story of the Silver Lake wolves.

--------------------------------------------------------------

It felt so good to be moving with the others, celebrating the victory of last night and celebrating life in general. Sophia lost herself in the music and the energy as she danced with the other teens by the lake. The music was loud and exciting, it was just what she needed at the moment. In fact she had so much energy she felt like jumping out of her skin.

She had no idea of the effect she was having around her. Many of the males were getting very aroused at her suggestive moves and her sexy looks. It seemed to the other females there that their dance partners were moving closer and closer to where Sophia was dancing, trying to brush up against her or get a better look at her.

Sophia was not picky about who she danced with as long as she could keep on moving. Without Lucas there, she danced with anyone who would. At one point, Randy had danced up next to her and pulled her closer to him. It was at this time that Presley and her friends showed up.

Presley noticed how Randy and many guys were trying to get next to Sophia and Sophia danced in the middle acting like she was unaware. Lucas was no where to be seen and Presley grabbed a beer, gulping it down in anger. "Sophia thinks she can have all the guys," Presley fumed to Dawn. She threw her empty beer bottle at a nearby tree, shattering it. "I'm so sick of her!"

Presley pushed her way through the crowd of dancing teens until she reached Randy. Randy turned to her and smiled, "Hey Pres…" But Presley wasn't there to dance.

Presley grabbed the front of Sophia's camisole top and broke one strap off, pulling it down to expose one of Sophia's breasts. "Why don't you give them more of a show, you whore!" She yelled at Sophia.

Sophia gasped and pulled up her top. Randy and everyone else around them took a few steps back when they noticed Sophia's eyes glow and her claws extend. Presley definitely would never have picked this time to harass Sophia if she had known the amount of hormones now flowing through her.

Sophia growled and swung her arm, backhanding Presley on the cheek and causing her to fall to the ground. Presley looked up at Sophia, unbelieving of the strength she just felt and the rage in which Sophia was coming at her again. Presley tried to turn over on to her knees to stand up but Sophia placed a hard kick to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying back against a tree.

Sean stood nearby with Sarah watching, as they all were now. The dancing had stopped and everyone watched what would happen. Without Lucas here, Sean would have to be the one to stop the fight, but he did nothing. Sean thought this was a long time coming and that Lucas had did a disservice to Sophia by not letting her fight for a place in the pack. He would never tell the Alpha that, however, because he had already figured out that when it came to Sophia, Lucas did not think rationally.

Presley saw Sophia coming for her yet again and she tried to draw in a deep enough breath to have some strength to fight. Sophia's attack was something she did not expect and she wasn't prepared for the blows she was taking.

Sophia grabbed Presley's long curly hair on both sides of her head and started pounding it against the tree in back of her. Presley reached up with her long nails and dug them into Sophia's wrist, trying to make her let go. But despite the blood, Sophia did not let go. Finally Presley kicked out at her and managed to throw Sophia off balance.

Sophia landed on the ground and Presley jumped on top of her. But Presley was feeling dizzy from the head banging and had a hard time focusing on what she was doing. Sophia easily rolled her over so that she was sitting on top of Presley. Sophia put a hand on Presley's neck and began pressing down, choking her. Presley tried to buck her off and she pushed desperately at the hand choking her.

Sarah grabbed onto Sean's arm, "Sean, you have to do something! Sophia is not herself right now, she'll kill Presley!" Sean looked over at Sarah and read from Sarah's mind that Sophia was in heat. He immediately understood and stepped forward, taking Sophia by both shoulders and pulling her off Presley.

"Enough Sophia! You won," he stated.

Presley rolled over to her hands and knees, coughing and trying to get air. Sophia felt no remorse, she tried to move out of Sean's grip and give Presley more but now Randy came and held her back as well.

"Sarah, come on, we are taking her back to her house," Sean ordered and the three of them led Sophia back towards the parked cars.

"I don't want to go home!" Sophia complained loudly, when she realized what they were doing. "Stop it! Let me go!" She struggled to get out of their grasps but they held firm.

"Sophia! Your not yourself right now. I should never have brought you here in the first place," Sarah frantically explained.

"Oh come on you guys! I promise I'll leave that bitch alone. Let's just go back and dance," Sophia tried. "Please…" She tried to hug Randy, but he did his best not to give in to her display of affection. He did not wish to feel the wrath of Lucas. They pushed her into the back seat of the car and Randy and Sean climbed in on either side of her to keep her from jumping out one of the doors while Sarah drove.

"Please don't take me home," she begged. "Take me to Lucas. I need to see Lucas!"

Sarah looked at Sean in the rearview mirror, "Sean? Can't we do that? Can't we take her to Lucas? He's what she really needs right now."

Sean sighed, thinking about what to do. "Pull over, I'm going to link up with him and let him decide."

--------------------------------------------------------

**Uh huh… getting close… LOL**

**TBC**

**Please review this chapter… Thanks!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing my work. I value all your comments!**

**Today's entry: Definitely Rated R for sexual scenes, so beware!**

**This idea of having Sophia go into heat came from that episode in which Deputy Molly goes hormonal and is all over John Kanin. She told him that her temperature increases at this time of the year and proceeded to seduce him. I thought that it would be fun to have it happen to Sophia! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 19 Unleashed**

Lucas stepped into the darkened house cautiously, his senses on alert for any movement. He knew he was being stalked, felt the eyes watching him from somewhere in the darkness. He could smell her: his predator. Her musk hung heavy on the air and the energy she was transmitting swept over his sensitive skin like a caress. He heard a soft growl from deep down in her throat and the sound filled him with need.

"Sophia," he whispered her name reverently. His breath was quickening at what was to come. He felt his need increasing rapidly as he stood there waiting.

"Take off your clothes," came a breathy voice from somewhere behind him. He started to turn around to face her, but she stopped him with the word, "Don't."

God! How this little game of hers was turning him on! He never expected anything like this from Sophia. Not from a virgin. He shrugged his shoulders and his black leather jacket fell to the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and he heard another soft growl roll from her throat.

----------------------------------------------------------------

**One hour earlier:**

Lucas was just finishing his goodbyes to Ruby when he received a message from Sean. He felt his friend in his mind and knew that Sean would not disturb him if it was not important. As he was walking back to his car from the pier, the Beta's voice came into his head:

_Lucas, we are having a bit of a problem right now._

_What is it Sean?_

_Well, it's Sophia…_

_Sophia?! What's wrong?_

Lucas felt a leap of fear inside. What could have possibly happened to Sophia?

_She's in heat._

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks.

_What the fuck? What the hell are you doing with her Sean? Have you been trying to fuck my girl?_

Having another male tell him that Sophia was in heat infuriated him. It meant that she was around other males while in this condition. Lucas knew that males found females in heat nearly impossible to resist.

_NO! God Lucas, Sarah is with me and we are trying to help her. She went to the rave tonight and got into a fight and that's when I found out. She wants us to take her to you, but I thought I should contact you first._

Lucas calmed down a bit.

_Somebody dared to attack her?_

_Presley insulted her and Sophia went wild on her. Don't worry, Presley is the one who got her ass kicked._

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled.

_That's my girl. Sorry I said that to you, Sean. I know you're a good friend and thanks for looking out for her._

_No problem. So what do you want us to do? I scanned her house and the Sheriff is there._

Lucas continued walking to his car again. Donner is going to have to know about Sophia's condition. She won't be able to go to school this week. Question was, should he let the protective Sheriff know now or later, after he had a chance to make love to her? Then again he could always sneak in later and slip into bed with her. Lucas was becoming excited at these thoughts.

No, he didn't want to have to sneak around. There was nothing wrong with a male fulfilling the needs of his mate, well… his almost mate. Lucas felt an urge to put things on the table and have it out with the Sheriff. The man had to know that he was serious about Sophia.

_Take her home and tell her that I'm coming over to speak with her father._

Sean couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_Are you sure about that Lucas? He might lock Sophia up to keep her away from you._

_We'll see._

Lucas broke the mind link, not wanting to discuss his reasons.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The teens had brought Sophia to her house with the assurance that Lucas would be arriving shortly. Sophia did not understand why he would want to come here when her Dad was home. If she had to jump out her window later to be with him, she would. Matt met them at the door, surprised at the expressions on their faces. Sophia wouldn't meet his eyes, but looked around angrily as if she was forced to be here.

"What's the matter?" he asked them. Sarah looked the most likely to answer and he focused his attention on the nervous girl.

"Um… Mr. Donner… Sophia has a temperature," Sarah began.

Matt's eyes swung to Sophia's face. "Are you sick?" he asked with a concerned expression.

Sophia gave him an angry glare, "No!" She turned away and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door.

"Can one of you please tell me what is going on with her?" Matt asked with more force.

"She's in heat, Sheriff," Sean simply stated, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.

Matt looked at him with surprise. Then he gazed at all their faces. "Is this true?" he asked in a low voice. It had been a very long time since he had dealt with a female in heat! They all nodded at him, sympathy on their faces.

There was a loud crash upstairs, followed by cursing, and they all gazed up at the direction of the sound. They could hear Sophia pacing the floor, cursing her father and cursing them for bringing her home. She was throwing and smashing things in frustration. Matt had never witnessed Sophia acting so frustrated before and he suddenly felt keenly the absence of an adult female to help Sophia at this time. He didn't want the teens standing here before him to see his indecision and he quickly thanked them for bringing Sophia home and then he ushered them out the door.

Matt had tried to stand outside her bedroom door and talk with her but she yelled, "Go away! I just want to see Lucas!" When he persisted, she threw something against the door and Matt could hear it break. He backed off, thinking that he was only managing to get her to destroy her room.

He sat at the top of the stairs with his head cradled in his hands, wondering what he should do, when the sound of Lucas's car pulling up in front of the house came to his ears. He got up quickly and met Lucas on the front porch.

Lucas stood straight and stared into Matt's eyes, determined not to back down from whatever the Sheriff was about to throw at him.

Matt knew why Lucas was here. He was sniffing around his daughter, trying to take advantage of her situation, he thought. He had some nerve coming here like this, not even bothering to hide his intentions.

Matt felt like he might end up punching the whelp.

"What do you want?" Matt growled.

"Sophia needs me Sheriff, and you know it," Lucas stated with confidence. "Now you can either let me give her what she wants or you can let her suffer all week, destroying your home in anger and resenting you for it."

Matt could not believe the audacity of the kid. "Why you little, fucking… "

"Sheriff," Lucas continued quickly before Matt decided to come to blows, "I'm planning on asking Sophia to go exclusive with me this week. It will be officially announced next Sunday."

Matt suddenly became speechless, looking at Lucas for some sign of deception.

Lucas continued on, "I love her. So if you were worrying about me taking advantage of her, don't, cause she will be my mate someday. So what will it be Sheriff? Will you let me help my future mate, or will you force us to sneak around to do it? Either way it's going to happen, whether you like it or not."

Matt studied Lucas again, noting how serious Lucas was. He knew that the young Alpha had every intention of making Sophia his and from what he knew of his daughter, Sophia would welcome this.

Matt looked away and shut his eyes. This was all happening too fast for him. Sophia had not even been home a week and now he was faced with someone claiming her as a mate! She was in heat and he was also faced with having to accept that his daughter had sexual urges that needed to be satisfied. It was all just too much for him! Whatever happened to his little girl? Why did things have to get so complicated so quickly?

At least she still had one more year of high school, he tried to give himself solace with this thought. Exclusive couples had to wait until after high school to marry. He would still have her home for another year.

Matt sighed, placing his hand over his eyes. Lucas could see that this was extremely difficult for the Sheriff to accept. After some moments of silence, Matt looked over at Lucas. "You better treat her right, son, because if you break her heart in any way, shape, or form, I will hunt you down, Alpha or no Alpha."

Lucas didn't care for the threat, but he felt relief that Matt had decided to accept his claim of Sophia. He waited now to see what the Sheriff would say next.

Matt sighed in defeat and tersely exclaimed, "I'll be at the station. Tell Sophia to call me if she needs anything." He strode off down the walkway to his truck, feeling that he just let the wolf into the sheep's barn.

Lucas stood and watched as Matt drove away, and he slowly turned to face the house. He could sense that Sophia was no longer in her room. Then the lights went out.

----------------------------------------------------------------

**Now.. back to the present…**

"Take them off," she growled again softly.

Lucas smiled with his back turned to her, thinking that he must be the luckiest guy on earth right now. He undid his jeans and let them fall, stepping out of them and now standing completely nude and … completely aroused.

He could hear her breathing and scanning his body from behind with her eyes and energy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, "Sophia?" he whispered again.

Lucas came to alert when he heard her quick steps and he whipped around in time to see Sophia's figure using the sofa as a springboard to hop onto him, wrapping her arms about his neck and her legs around his waist. She brought her lips hungrily onto his and Lucas returned her passionate kiss, grasping on to her and pulling her closer.

She wiggled her body and moaned, her hands free to roam now that Lucas held her securely onto him. Lucas broke the kiss and moved his head back to look at her. She was wearing a very sexy red bra with a matching panty and he gave her a wicked grin before she pulled his head back to hers for another searing kiss. Lucas turned his head to the side for a moment while she made her way down his neck and to his ear.

"Baby," Lucas breathed out, "shouldn't we slow down… take our time… make it more… gentle… for you?" Sophia's arousal was burning into him and if she didn't slow down, he was going to lose control.

Sophia growled out against his skin, "No gentle! I need… oh God Lucas… I just need you, now! Don't make me wait any longer." Sophia sent images of what she wanted into Lucas's mind and she felt him swell, growing extremely excited at her thoughts. His eyes flashed gold and he let out a low growl, laying her down along the wide backrest of the sofa.

He took both of her legs and pulled her bottom to the end of the sofa, placing her shapely calves on his shoulders. "Is this what you want baby?" he said huskily.

"Yes, do it!" she gasped out, her breaths matching the quick beating of her heart.

Lucas reached down and tore off her bra and tossed it aside, then he did the same with her panties. Sophia growled her approval and challenged him with her eyes to continue. "No gentle, Lucas!" she ordered him. Her eyes flashing gold to match his.

He reached both his hands down and held her hips, lifting her to the right level and drove straight into her welcoming warmth. Sophia flinched at the first and he held himself still, waiting for her reaction, staring intensely into her eyes.

"I'm o.k." she answered his thoughts, "keep going, don't stop!" She threw her head back against the sofa grasping onto the backrest with her claws as he began giving her exactly what she craved, what she needed with every fiber of her being. How right this felt to her! She was a female in heat and nothing but this… this wild mating… could satisfy her. She howled and moaned with pleasure as he drove over and over into her depths.

Lucas felt transported to a world of total sensation. This magnificent female in front of him responding to his every move. It fueled him more and more each time he heard her pleasure noises. She was his, his Sophia, and he felt like her willing slave. He would do anything she wanted, he knew, anything to satisfy her needs, in any way that she wanted. The words of his father came to his mind, "if a female is satisfied, her mate will be as well." It was true! All of Sophia's needs were becoming his own. He could see clearly into her mind and he knew what she wanted right now. Nothing would stop him from giving it to her.

He held himself back from his own release as he brought her over the edge, reveling in the scream of his name from her lips. He flipped her over onto her stomach and entered her again.

"Lucas!" she gasped. She had no time to recover from that first round as he began again.

"We are only just getting started Sophia. There is so much more to come baby… way more," he breathed out, excited at the prospect. He was determined that Sophia Donner be the most satisfied female in Wolf Lake.

"Oh, yes!" Sophia moaned out as she let herself be overtaken by the power of Lucas's movements. He was all she needed and more.

--------------------------------------------------

**He he he … my wicked muse just had to be let out of it's cage. Hope you didn't mind…**

**Coming up next: Life in the love shack continues while Matt, Presley and Scott cope with their new discoveries.**

**Let me know how I'm doing… Thanks!!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 The Day After**

Lucas stood at the refrigerator in the Donner residence looking for something to have for breakfast when there was a knock on the door. He could sense his mother standing outside as he slipped back into his jeans and opened the door.

Vivian had received a call from her son a few hours ago and now stood with a duffel bag of his clothing as well as a few other necessities. In one arm she also held a bag of groceries. As she stepped inside she noticed the general disarray of the house and she had a pretty good idea of how it got that way.

"I hope you clean this place up before Matt comes back," she told her son. "The poor man is having a hard time with this as it is."

"You've seen him?" Lucas asked as he took the bag of groceries from his mother and went into the kitchen with her following him.

"Molly called from the station this morning. Seems that our Sheriff spent the night in the empty holding cell with a bottle of Jack Daniels," Vivian said as she started a pot of coffee. "Honestly Lucas, did you have to throw him out of his own home last night?"

"I did no such thing! He decided to leave on his own!" Lucas defended himself.

"Well you couldn't very well expect him to stick around and listen to you two. Where is Sophia?"

"She's in the shower," replied Lucas. "Do you think I should bring her over to our house? Then the Sheriff could have his place back."

"No, I think I have a better idea. You two stay here and I'll ask Matt to come stay in the guest room at the mansion," Vivian mused. Perhaps this situation may work to her advantage, Vivian thought. "Are you planning on taking the whole week off from school then and stay with Sophia?"

"Yeah, I am. Just tell the school we have mono or something," Lucas smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that," Vivian promised. "Lucas, I wanted you to know that I'm really happy with your choice of mate. Sophia is intelligent and compassionate and I think she'll be a great asset to you as Alpha. Make sure you don't mess things up between you two like Tyler did with Ruby."

"You don't have to worry about that mom, I'm nothing like Tyler," said Lucas as he watched his mom pour the whole pot off coffee into a thermos, intending to take it to Matt. "Hey, aren't you going to leave any of that for us?"

Vivian gave her son a pointed look, "I'm sure you two can take a break from your little honeymoon to make a pot of coffee." She walked past him towards the front door, noticing the clawed up sofa. She stopped and sighed, looking at the destruction. "I'll call someone to come over and repair that. Try to be more considerate of Matt's home Lucas."

"Sure mom," Lucas kissed her on the cheek and smiled. Vivian shook her head and left the love nest.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Presley stood at her locker between classes, shoving her books around and feeling embarrassed every time she felt the others look at her. Everyone seemed to be avoiding her today, even Krissy and Dawn hurried off in the opposite direction when she arrived at school. She had been knocked out of her position as lead female and even though Lucas did not officially say so yet, because he was absent today, she may even be shunned. Everyone seemed to be treating her as if it were so.

It was the last period of the day and she made her way over to Sherman Blackstone's class, spotting Sean and Randy talking in the hallway nearby. She felt determined that they should talk to her. She just had to know! She walked up to them and they turned to face her.

"I need to know. Am I shunned or not?" she straight out asked Sean.

"I don't know Presley. Lucas hasn't said anything about it yet," he answered.

"Well, can you find out for me?" she persisted.

"Yeah, next time I get a chance to ask, I will," Sean said. Sean walked off towards class, leaving her with Randy.

Presley looked at Randy who still stood there looking at her. "Well, aren't you going to run away from me too?" she snapped.

"If you get shunned Pres, they're going to have to shun me too," Randy said seriously. Presley looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"Why would you want that?" she asked.

"Cause then I could have you all to myself," he smiled.

"How can you joke about something like that?" she said, miffed at him now.

The smile left his face. "I'm not joking Pres. I've always wanted you more than I've ever wanted anyone else. But you were always too busy chasing after Lucas to notice." Randy left her standing in the hallway, staring in confusion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, Scott was walking slowly by the police station wondering if he should do what he came here to do. He stopped and gazed through the window and saw the Sheriff inside, sitting at a desk. He fought an inner battle of whether or not he should go in and speak to Mathew Donner. He was Sophia's father and he had a right to know that his daughter may be in danger. He built up his courage and went in.

The tired Sheriff looked up from his paperwork and noticed Scott looking at him with a worried frown. "Hello Scott, can I help you with something?" Matt asked.

"I need to talk to you about something private Sheriff," Scott said, glancing at Kanin sitting at his desk on the phone.

Matt stood up and said, "Come on back to my office." Scott followed him into the office and the Sheriff shut the door for privacy. "Now, tell me what's on your mind," Matt said as he sat down behind his desk and Scott took a seat across from him.

Scott didn't know how he was supposed to speak about this without seeming like some kind of lunatic. He shifted in his seat nervously. He wouldn't be the first Wolf Lake resident to be shipped out to a mental hospital. For some reason, that seemed to happen a lot around here.

"Well, sir… I'm worried about Sophia," he began, noticing now the concern on the Sheriff's face.

"What about Sophia?" Matt asked.

"I've noticed that… well… Lucas Cates has been… I don't know…" he stumbled with his words.

Matt squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what Scott was about. "What about Lucas Cates?"

"Well… yesterday… he got all pissed about me talking to Sophia."

"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked.

"More like threatened me. But that wasn't the worst part," Scott said, starting to get to the heart of the matter.

"Tell me."

"There is something… different about him. I don't know, it's like he's very strong and well… something else." Scott knew that if he said Lucas had fangs and claws that the Sheriff might cuff him and call county mental. He decided not to tell him that part. "Anyways, I just kind of think that Sophia may be in trouble, hanging out with a guy like that."

Mathew could see exactly what happen from the images in Scott's mind. Lucas had been careless and shown more than he should have. This could be a problem if Scott decided to spread rumors. Not that there were no humans in town that knew about strange things happening. But they also knew to keep their mouths shut because they all saw what happened to those that didn't.

"I think that when we are frightened, we tend to see things that aren't necessarily there," Matt explained. "You haven't been doing drugs or drinking have you?"

"No sir! I do drink occasionally, but I don't touch drugs. I know I didn't drink anything yesterday," Scott defended himself.

"Hmm… well… ," Mathew faked a disbelieving look. He hated making Scott feel like he didn't believe him, but it was necessary if he should ever have to take it to the next step.

Scott couldn't believe it! The Sheriff was treating him like he was lying! He started to feel that it was a mistake to come here.

Mathew stood up and opened the door. "It's nice of you to be concerned about Sophia, but I don't think there is anything to worry about. Thanks for stopping by."

Scott stood up and looked at the Sheriff, trying to figure out why he was not more concerned about his daughter. He couldn't believe that the Sheriff would dismiss him like this and practically accuse him of being drunk or on drugs. He had never been in trouble with the law before and could not think of a reason why the Sheriff would treat him this way. He walked slowly past Matt and out the door, confusion written clearly on his face.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia lay stretching on her bed, a contented smile on her face as she turned to her side and watched Lucas sleep. It was only early evening but it felt like time had no meaning to either of them. They had spent the whole night and day doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. They ate, slept, made love, talked, watched T.V. with no set schedule and no interruptions.

Sophia could not believe how happy she was. She felt blissfully content and so totally in love. She ran her fingers over Lucas's back and watched a smile form on his sleeping face. "I love you…" she softly told him.

She knew she had been demanding of physical intimacy since Lucas had arrived but she couldn't help it. Her body was going crazy. Now she was feeling much better as the first wave of hormones seemed to settle a bit. She smiled to think that she had exhausted Lucas and he was now taking what rest he could before her needs kicked in again.

She now felt a bit of guilt towards how she treated her father last night and she wondered how he was doing. She could barely believe that Lucas had permission to be here, making love to her like crazy, with her father's knowledge! It all seemed so unreal! She decided that this would be a good time to give her Dad a call.

Sophia made her way downstairs and looked around at the mess they had made of the house. She blushed thinking about all the wild and crazy things they did and could hardly believe it had all happened. She had no idea that there were so many ways to make love and took delight each time Lucas showed her something new. Where he had learned all of that, she really didn't want to know. The past is the past, she told herself.

She dialed her Dad's cell phone number.

"Donner here," her Dad said.

"Hi Dad, it's me," Sophia said softly.

"Sophia? Hi honey, is everything all right?" Matt was happy that she called. He was worried that she would still be angry with him for some reason.

"Yeah, I'm better right now," she said awkwardly. "Sorry I was such a pain in the butt last night Dad."

"I know your going through a tough time sweetie." There was an awkward pause as they did not know how to talk about this subject. "Is… Lucas still there?"

"Yeah… you need to speak to him?"

"No, I was just wondering. Vivian has offered to put me up at her place until… well… until…"

"I know Dad. I'm sorry you feel you have to leave. I feel bad about that. This whole thing feels so crazy, you know."

"Yeah, I do know," Matt agreed. "I'm going to come by in a few hours and pick up some things to wear. Can I bring you anything? Pizza, chicken?"

"Chicken sounds good. Thanks Dad. I'll see you in a few."

"O.K. sweetie. I'll call right before I come by."

Sophia hung up the phone and looked around the house again. Oh jeez! Her Dad is coming tonight and the house is a mess! She quickly got to work setting it to rights.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Please send me your feedback! **

**I wish everyone a Happy New Year!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Together**

It was Wednesday afternoon and Sean stood outside Sophia's house debating whether he should knock or not. He didn't want to disturb anything that might be going on so he sent a signal that he was outside. Now he stood waiting for an answer, leaning against the side of his truck. In a few moments he heard Lucas respond that he should come in to the house.

Lucas had swung open the front door as Sean reached the porch, wearing only a blue bathrobe. Sean smirked at him as he entered the house.

"I hope I didn't disturb anything," Sean said as he looked around for any sign of Sophia.

Lucas shut the door behind him. "Of course you did, but that's cool. I can tell you have some things on your mind. So what's up?"

Now Sophia came down the stairs, dressed in her robe as well. "Hi Sean," she smiled at him.

"Hey Sophia," he said in greeting, watching as she walked up to Lucas and wrapped both her arms around his waist. Lucas wrapped his arms around her as well and kissed the top of her head. They look really happy together, Sean thought. Watching them embracing each other and the obvious look of contentment on their faces, gave Sean a stab of longing for the same thing. Sarah immediately came to his mind as the female he'd like to be holding like that right now.

"First there's this," Sean handing Lucas some papers.

"What's this?" Lucas asked.

"Teachers have been handing me the assignments you've been missing," Sean answered, already knowing how Lucas would respond to that.

"Fuck that, I've more important things to do," he said, bending down and giving Sophia a kiss on her lips. Sophia giggled and then pulled her head away slightly.

"We probably should do some, we don't want to fall behind and have to go to summer school," she reminded him.

Lucas frowned, "Well, maybe."

Sean wanted to smile, seeing Lucas so whipped. He had a feeling that Sophia could get him to do just about anything. Sean started to think that if he ever needed to request something, he should go through Sophia first.

"So tell me that you didn't come over just about that," Lucas said.

"There is one more thing… Presley. She wants to know if she is shunned or not."

Lucas sighed. He really did not think about that situation at all.

Sophia looked up into his face, thinking about what happened as well.

Being shunned sounded so harsh to her. Yes, Presley was a mean bitch and she deserved what she got that night, but Sophia knew that the only harm done that night was to Presley. Presley was no longer lead female and Sophia knew that it must be a blow to her ego.

Sophia shook her head. "Don't Lucas. Please don't give the order. She has been punished enough."

Lucas smiled down at her, giving the top of her head another kiss, "You've got a big heart Sophia, and a fair one." Now he looked at Sean. "Tell Presley that she is not shunned but she better drop her grudge and show Sophia the respect she deserves."

Sean nodded in agreement. "Well, I'll let you two get back to whatever it was you were doing. Hope your feeling better soon Sophia," Sean laughed.

"Hey, shut the hell up! There will be no getting better soon!" Lucas replied, lightheartedly.

Sophia laughed and opened the front door for him. "Bye Sean, tell Sarah I said hi."

"I will," he winked at her and left them alone once again.

As soon as she closed the door, Lucas came over and pinned her against it, kissing her neck. "Where were we?" he asked huskily.

"Hmmm… I was thinking of taking a nice long bath," she answered. He pulled his lips off her neck and look mischievously into her face, "That sound's like fun."

"Alone," she smiled at him. His face fell in disappointment. "Unless you promise to take me somewhere tonight. I'm so tired of being in this house."

"Now your bribing me with sex! I don't be believe it!" he joked. "Baby you know it's not a good idea to tease all those males with your scent right now."

Now Sophia looked disappointed.

Lucas sighed. "How about you take that bath, and I'll go rent some movies that we haven't seen yet."

She huffed in defeat. "Only if you bring me back a mocha too."

"Deal," he smiled, kissing her on her pouting mouth. He kept giving her light kisses until she finally gave him a small smile. "Don't worry baby, soon you'll be able to go out again and I'll take you wherever you want."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas had just returned with the mochas and the DVD's and he listened for the sound of Sophia. It was silent upstairs but he could smell the scent of the bubble bath solution and he made his way towards it.

He tried to walk as quiet as possible as he finally reached the doorway of the bathroom and observed his beautiful mate laying contently under a mound of bubbles, her eyes closed in relaxation. He stepped into the bathroom carefully, not wanting to disturb her, so he could gaze on her. Her brown hair was pulled up and fastened to the top of her head and her long, graceful neck was visible and waiting for kisses.

"I know your there," she said softly, without opening her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I knew that," he smiled, sitting down on the edge of the tub. She now opened her soft gaze towards him.

"You know what I've always found extremely hard to do?" she asked him.

"What's that?" he replied, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek.

"Wash my own back," she gave him a sexy smile.

He smiled back at her and took the sponge on the side of the tub, soaping it up. Sophia bent forward so he could wash her back and growled with joy. "Ummm… that feels so good."

"I know what else would feel good," he said wickedly. He moved the sponge over her shoulder and down her chest. Sophia laid back again and closed her eyes with joy as he circled the sponge around and over her breasts. She arched her back with pleasure, parting the bubbles and making visible to him what he was doing.

Lucas was getting very aroused and started unbuttoning his shirt with his free hand. Then he remembered what he had planned to ask her just a minute ago, before they got distracted. He stopped what he was doing, causing her to open her eyes in surprise.

"Don't stop Lucas," she breathed out.

"Um… Sophia… there is something I need to say."

"I hope your going to tell me the house is on fire, because that's the only reason good enough for you to stop doing what you were doing."

"How about this reason… I want us to go exclusive, Sophia. I want us to be mated next year and I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. Is it o.k. to stop and ask you that?" he smiled, trying to hide his nervousness at what she might respond.

"Oh… my… God!" she emphasized each word. She reached up and grabbed him by his arm, pulling him into the tub with her. Water splashed and sloshed over the sides and bubbles squeezed up all around them. He laughed as she placed kisses all over his bubbly face. "Yes, yes and double yes!" she squealed.

He lifted his mouth to give her a passionate kiss, fitting his body over hers. They held each other tight and lost themselves in the joy and power of their new commitment. When the kiss ended, Lucas said, "So that's what it takes for you to let me in the bath with you."

She laughed and said, "Well, actually, the mocha would have been enough."

------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning came and the clan was arriving a church, some already knowing what would transpire today. Many knew that Lucas had chosen his mate and they would have their ceremony this morning. It was not uncommon to see this type of ceremony performed, as it did happen every few months or so. However, this particular couple held great interest for everyone, as they would be the leaders of the pack someday.

As the teens arrived, they walked up to Sophia and Lucas to congratulate them and show respect. Presley was one of the last to come. She made her way to where they stood outside the church.

"Can I speak to you in private?" she directed her question at Lucas.

Lucas looked over to Sophia, knowing that he would not go if she had a problem with it. Sophia nodded lightly, giving her ascent. She no longer doubted Lucas's devotion to her and she knew he would not deceive her in any way. Lucas squeezed her hand in reassurance and walked off a ways with Presley.

He stood to face her, not willing to go anywhere completely out of sight from the others. "What's up Presley?"

"I wanted to thank you for not shunning me," she began.

"Thank Sophia for that. She's the one who decided."

Presley was surprised. She looked over at Sophia across the yard, confusion on her face.

Lucas continued, "I hope that you'll get to know her better and that you two can be friends someday. It would be better for everyone if you did."

Presley looked at him again, hurt still written on her face. "I also wanted to say that I think you should take Sophia to the prom and not me." She gave an ironic laugh. "After all, I think I want to go with someone who I can actually touch. And it would seem weird for me to go with someone who is exclusive with another female."

Lucas had forgotten about the prom thing again. Why was this event so important to the females? He couldn't figure it out.

He smiled at her, "Thanks Pres." Then he had another thought.

"Do you remember that disk, the one with the green stone that lit up?"

"Yes," she answered, wondering why he was bringing that up.

"I want you to go ask Sherman Blackstone about it. Ask him what it means," Lucas said mysteriously.

"Why?" Presley asked as Lucas started to walk back to Sophia.

"Just ask him," he laughed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas Cates and Sophia Donner stood before the pack who had filled the church that morning. The pastor had them stand side by side, both of them lifting up an arm, the arms which were closest to the other. Two long leather straps were held in each of their palms as the pastor twined them together, reciting ancient words of promise.

Throughout the whole ceremony they never once took their eyes from each other, sending loving thoughts into one another's mind. When the ritual was complete, Lucas grabbed Sophia and kissed her possessively for all to see. Everyone clapped and cheered, feeling that the future of the pack was looking bright indeed.

The End - For Now

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed Sophia's Choice. I set out with the plan to do a story of falling in love and having Sophia accept who she is as well as having Lucas step up to more power as an Alpha. I think I accomplished that and it seemed a good time to end it.**

**I'm in the planning stages of doing a fiction of their Senior year at high school (Sophia's Choice being part of Junior year). This fiction will have them at eighteen years of age and Lucas would really be asserting himself as more of a leader of the town. Tyler and Ruby, Matt and Vivian, Scott and his friends, as well as Luke and Sophia's friends will also be featured more. But of course there would always be plenty of Lucas and Sophia as they are my favorites! **

**I also have a thought to do the Wolf Lake/Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover show that was in the planning stages by the writers of Wolf Lake before the show was canceled.**

**Well, please let me know if any of this sounds interesting to you. The more responses I get, the more I'll feel like writing them. Thank you to all who have read and reviewed me. It's been a blast! **


End file.
